Vignale di Cecilia has been the creation of Paolo Brunello since 1998, a winemaker who, without too many frills and with a good dose of self-irony, rightly defines himself as an artisan of the vine. Wines, says Paolo, innovative in taste but traditional in technique, perfectly embodying the osmosis between history and modernity that is typical of the Euganean Hills, a volcanic area where international grapes are at home, but the know-how of local winemakers same to you.
Paolo's grandfather was a winemaker, and from that experience the Vignale di Cecilia was born, in Baone, right on the slopes of the homonymous mountain, which in the Euganean area is a guarantee of a genuine volcanic component of the soils. The climate is mitigated by the proximity of the sea and the soil is calcareous and volcanic, unique in Europe, especially considering that the area is very suitable for Bordeaux vines, in particular Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Paolo's is a pioneering and artistic journey in some ways, certainly experimental, indeed almost revolutionary if only for the exclusive but popular formula with which he leads, in an absolutely direct way from the vineyard to the promotion, his company and its only 30,000 bottles yearly. Which, something to be emphasized a thousand times, by business decision are always placed on the market with the right quality-price ratio, a point of which Paolo is a firm believer.
For Paolo Brunello, Covolo represents the wine that reflects him the most, and at the same time constitutes a tribute to the territory as part of the DOC of the Euganean Hills. The value for money, from sensational that it is for El Moro and Passacaglia, becomes incredible. From 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Covolo is vinified and aged in vitrified cement, to preserve its aromatic fragrance and crunchiness to the sip. The vineyards are the historical ones of the company, located in a valley at the foot of Mount Cecilia right in front of the winery. Spurred cordon rows, mainly well spaced, which occupy about three and a half hectares of volcanic-clayey-calcareous soil, therefore relatively heterogeneous. The altitude above sea level is minimal, about 50 meters, but the exposures are optimal, oriented towards the south-west.
Covolo is a pleasant and emotional wine at the same time, which perfectly expresses the right combination between the classic vegetal note of the grapes and the fruity and intriguing roundness of the territory, innervated with a surprising minerality. Ruby red in color with still violet reflections in the glass, it strikes the nose for its immediacy and complexity. Fruity and at the same time herbaceous, it shows off hints of cherry, black cherry, violet; there is still, especially in youth, some vinous puffs, but it is soon destined to be outclassed by a more complex and articulated olfactory texture, which evolves towards the undergrowth and earthy, maintaining a fresh shoulder of fragrance and white pepper.
The sip is irresistible, but very complex, a sign of how much the Euganean Hills give the Bordeaux cuts immediacy without detracting from the aromatic amplitude. Certainly, also thanks to the long stop that Covolo receives in the bottle in the cellar, this glass develops in a taut but not sharp sip, albeit with an evident connotation of minerality and flavor. It is, that of Covolo, a simple elegance without frills, of extraordinary drinkability and versatility at the table, with a perky but chiseled and unobtrusive tannin: it goes well both with a beautiful richly flavored soppressa from Vicenza, and with a cut of Berico ham. a little seasoned. But it will be excellent with all well-seasoned pasta, perhaps with meat sauce, and with roasted pork ribs.
