Dinavolo 2018

Giulio Armani is a quiet, introspective theorist and scholar, well-appointed in his sharp, Italian dress. Behind his smile, though, you can see his mind is not as reserved: always asking, testing, proving. This exuberance comes through in the highly-energetic yet contemplative wines Giulio crafts at Denavolo, named for the mountain on which it lies. On this stunning slope in Emilia-Romagna, he retreats from his red wine labors in La Stoppa, where he has been making wine since he was a boy, to answer more questions his mind cannot let pass: Why has the world assumed wines from red and white grapes are made differently?

Perhaps this is a fashion of the old days that has clung tightly in the current era and is now stifling the potential of great white wine? Can you hear his mind working? It is a joy to hear and taste the results. To reach the potential, Giulio is still experimenting: oak versus tank, parcel selection versus whole vineyard, long versus short maceration, but certain things remain a constant. Dedication to harmony with nature, natural fermentations and processes, skin contact and no filtering are all carved into the rock of his principles for the foundation of the best wine he can make.

The Denavolo brand began in 2005 with the first release in 2006, and comes from five hectares of vines planted in the Colli Piacentini area. Denavolo’s three hectares of steep, climbing, sandy, limestone-rich soils at 350-500 meters above sea level have an answer that awaits the right moment to be revealed. It is the quiet Giulio that will get them to speak, even if it takes another childhood to muse on. In the meantime, we will enjoy the questions. - SAVIO SOARES SELECTIONS