Piccolo Podere del Ceppaiolo Ceppamatto 2015

Ceppamatto is a field-blend red from Piccolo Podere del Ceppaiolo, a 1.7-hectare property near Bastia Umbra in the province of Perugia, just outside Assisi. The red-grape parcel — roughly one hectare of the total — sits on calcareous clay soils at elevations up to 400 meters above sea level, planted with indigenous varieties including Vernaccia Rossa, Sangiovese, Aleatico, and Nebbiolo di Gubbio. The vines are up to 70 years old and have never been treated with synthetic chemicals.

Winemaking at Ceppaiolo is deliberately stripped back. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts, followed by approximately 10 days of skin contact. The wine is then aged in cement, with no fining, no filtration, and no added sulfur at any stage. The only technology in the cellar is a vintage vertical press dating to the 1950s.

Danilo Marcucci, who trained alongside Friuli's Radikon and spent time studying the late Edoardo Valentini's approach in Abruzzo, leads the project with his partner Riccardo Pennaforti. Ceppaiolo functions as their most experimental site — grapes are tasted each harvest and decisions about the wine are made vintage by vintage. Production is extremely limited.

Ceppamatto is bottled as IGT Umbria. At 12.5% ABV it sits at the lighter end of the spectrum for central Italian reds, with the elevated acidity and mineral tension characteristic of old vines on limestone-clay at altitude.