Balmi Bioti Bramaterra

Balmi Bioti is a single-vineyard Bramaterra from the Casa del Bosco hillside in Sostegno, where the soil is volcanic and run through with veins of iron-rich red clay - distinctly more volcanic than the rest of La Palazzina's Roasio land. 2015 was the inaugural release, when Paolo Montà (the current winemaker, successor to founder Leonardo) decided to keep this fruit separate rather than fold it into the estate Bramaterra. Grapes are de-stemmed and fermented spontaneously in lined concrete with regular pump-overs for about three weeks, then aged two years in large Slavonian botti before bottling without filtration and with minimal sulphites. The warm, dry 2015 Alto Piemonte season delivered a ripe, concentrated frame onto Bramaterra's usual mineral lift, with the iron-streaked volcanic soil giving the cuvée its savoury, ferrous bite.