La Casaccia 'Poggeto' Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese

The lovely Rava family runs this pristine, certified organic estate in Cella Monte, just south of the Po River, in the Monferrato hills. They are a lively, energetic, and engaging bunch, and their wines are a direct portal to this wonderful family dynamic. We love all of their wines, but their Freisa is astoundingly good.

Poggeto is the top of the hill owned by Giovanni Rava and his wife Elena. It is quite close to their cellar in the village of Cella Monte, in the northern Monferrato. The vines are at high elevation (450m above sea level) and grow in limestone rich, brittle and porous soils. Mineral character, great drainage, low soil fertility and cool temps. play to the strengths of thin-skinned, seedy Grignolino. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel at cool temperatures in the 18th century cellar under their home, resulting in a wine that is distinctly bright, aromatic, and thirst-quenching.

'Floral. Dry tannin. Red fruit. Spice. The best of Piemonte’s many perfect-for-summer red grapes is thin-skinned and full of seeds, leading to wines that have a pale cherry color and palate dusting fine tannin. You can drink this at room temperature, but it really deserves to be 55 degrees. My current favorite pairing (of many) for Poggeto is chunks of fatty trout crudo garnished with parsley, black sesame, and a splash of mild citrus.' - Jay Murrie, Piedmont Wine Imports.