Vino del Poggio - 'Navel' - Barbera, Bonarda - Colli Piacenti, Emilia Romagna, IT - 2012

The most important wine of the estate - and a truly excellent one... Beyond the fact that this wine is perfectly evolved and still intensely delicious after 10 years in bottle.. Deep and filled with herbal garrigue, energy, and structure. This wine longs for big savory dishes but is fascinating and developed just right for sipping on its lonesome. It. Likes. Cigars. ... just like the winemaker.
No fining, Filtration, no added yeasts or so2... this wine is pure. In fact, it's breathtaking.

-Drew

Andrea Cervini has spent the entirety of his life in Colli Piacentini. He's Emilian through and through. Andrea fell in love with wine through his uncle who was a small, blue-collar wine-grower in the area. He started helping his uncle at the age of 13. It was years later when he formed a friendship with Giulio Armani at La Stoppa that he really caught the bug.
His wines are ethereal and yet severe - Like two ideals in a tug of war - creating tension and fascination in these feral yet elegant wines. A must for the holidays... or the summer daze!

In 2006, Andrea started off on his own and planted some vineyards near his home in Travo (about 15 minutes from La Stoppa). Today there are a total of 4 hectares - including one acquired vineyard that was planted in 1970. The vineyards - made up of Barbera, Bonarda and Malvasia di Candia Aromatica- are planted on clay and limestone soil, at an altitude of 200 meters. The farming is Organic and the cellar is pointed directly to the past - housing long macerations and bottles of carefully timed releases - an homage to his best friend and mentor Giulio Armani.

I spend most of my nights in Emilia at Andrea's agriturismo. His daughter cooks us hand made tortellini in brodo and Tortelli d'erbetta with sage. It is an extremely special place to me. I'm so happy to share another vintage of his Bianco of 100% Malvasia di Candia and more of, to me, possibly the most underrated wine in the portfolio, the 2010 Navel Rosso.

Andrea, his Toscano cigars, his one of kind laugh, his beautiful bucolic wines - this is an imaginative character that can only come from the hills outside of Piacenza. I truly hope everyone can go there someday.
-Soil Expedition