Roero Riserva Loreto DOCG 2021

The Azienda Agricola Valfaccenda was founded in 2010 by Luca Faccenda and his partner Carolina Roggera in Canale. On the steep and sandy hills of the Roero, Luca and Carolina grow only the autochthonous grape varieties Nebbiolo and Arneis - in the firm knowledge that only grape varieties with indigenous roots are able to authentically reflect their origin on the bottle. The two hectares owned by the estate are situated around the winery near Canale. Other areas on the hills Le Rocche, the landmark of Roero, as well as in Vezza, Madonnna di Loreto in Canale and San Grato in Santo Stefano are cultivated on lease. The soils of the Roero are made up of sand, which in ancient times formed the seabed of the Gulf of Padania and sometimes appears mixed with clay sediments. In 2014, Luca Faccenda registered the farm for organic certification to allow his vines the best conditions for the authentic expression of Roero. 

The grapes for the Loreto Roero Riserva are harvested at their best ripeness and come from two steep sites with sandy soils in Madonna di Loreto with a south-southeast orientation. Fermentation lasts up to one month, depending on the vintage, after which the wine matures in barrels before being bottled during the waning moon of the following spring, after which it matures for another year in the bottle. The first Riserva vintage was released in 2017.

Straw yellow with a silky matt sheen.

It is the ageing that makes the 2021 Loreto Arneis Riserva from Valfaccenda so taciturn. Reserved but by no means unfriendly, it quietly tells of lime blossoms and small plump pears, green almonds and apricots as well as a bunch of fresh kitchen herbs. A piece of yeast plait floats gently above this still life.

With a firm bite and profound pressure on the palate, the Riserva shows what it is made of With a firm structure and solid bass on the palate, it has good tension with a creamy texture and tartly contoured phenolic. The tannins on the tongue flank its rapid flow, the crumbly fruit is fuelled by striking minerality and restrained acidity. Structural wine with a pleasantly serious attitude.