Do.t.e Nouveau 2020

Do.t.e Nouveau is a red wine made from Syrah grown in Cortona, in eastern Tuscany. Filippo Calabresi and Francesca manage 4 hectares of vines, working with Syrah planted in 2002 and Viognier planted in 1991. The vineyards are farmed without systemic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or insecticides, and the cellar operates with zero chemical or enological additives, including sulfites.

In keeping with Do.t.e's minimal-intervention approach, grapes ferment spontaneously with native yeasts — sometimes destemmed, sometimes whole-cluster, depending on the vintage. The Nouveau style points to shorter aging in inert containers, preserving freshness and primary fruit character rather than seeking structural extraction.

Cortona sits at the base of the Apennine mountains in the Province of Arezzo, nearly 600 meters above sea level. Soils are of Pliocene and Pleistocene origin, composed of clay, sand, and silt. The altitude brings significant diurnal temperature shifts that slow sugar accumulation overnight and retain natural acidity. Syrah thrives here and now accounts for the majority of the Cortona DOC's plantings.

All Do.t.e wines are bottled under the Vino table wine designation rather than Cortona DOC, which Filippo describes as the only classification truly favorable to the creative process. The result is an unencumbered, frankly expressed Syrah built for the table rather than the cellar.