Red wine - Pieropan - Amarone "Vigna garzone" Valpolicella Docg

Vigna La Monaca, two hectares planted in 2011 at an altitude of 320 m a.s.l., is characterised by a soil with a more sandy texture (37.4% of sand and 12.5% of clay), which is well aerated, very draining and therefore drier, making the vines less vigorous. The north-eastern exposure ensures good luminosity but less influence from the hot summer temperatures; this means that in the hottest and driest years the vine suffers less, maintaining constant ripening. The presence of active limestone facilitates the development of aromas and the wealth of potassium favours the accumulation of sugars, aromas and anthocyanins. The low vigour, low productivity and the characteristics of the soil are favourable for a balanced and complete ripening of the grapes, more suitable for structured red wines with long ageing. The training system is espalier, with Guyot pruning and a density of 4600 vines per hectare.

San Lucio is the first large vineyard identified on the Regaleali Estate, from which the first and subsequent editions of Rosso del Conte were born. It covers about 7 hectares, 5.5 of which were planted in 1959 with mixed Perricone and Nero d'Avola vines, while a portion of about 1.5 hectares was planted in 1965 with Nero d'Avola alone. The altitude is 480 metres above sea level, with a south-southeast exposure. The soil is yellowish brown, loamy-sandy, partly calcareous, with a slight presence of skeleton; the pH is slightly alkaline (8.5). Regaleali's oldest vineyard usually confers medium vigour to the vines, a prerequisite for balanced ripening of red and medium-late grapes. It is able to withstand the influence of extreme climates, whether hot or cold, and produces a few grams of grapes per plant, with incredible constancy in quality. It is bush-trained, the oldest and most widespread form of cultivation in the semi-arid regions of the Mediterranean. The planting density also remains classic, at 4,400 vines per hectare, obtained by arranging the vines at a distance of 1.5 metres from each other. At Regaleali, short pruning is adopted for red varieties, with three/four spurs of two buds.
Short pruning is often combined with the presence of a brace to tie off the shoots that develop from the spurs.
The two varieties, Perricone and Nero d'Avola, have a similar vegetative cycle: they are fairly late grapes, ripening on average between late September and early October. A faithful expression of the terroir from which it comes, the high hills in the centre of Sicily, on an aromatic level Rosso del Conte never exceeds over-ripe notes, while guaranteeing full phenolic ripeness. Exuberant, vibrant, energetic in its youth, with ageing it develops a velvety tactile relief, without losing tone and taste progression. In its long history it has known various stylistic variations, particularly in the ageing technique: chestnut barrels, Slavonian oak, small French oak barrels. All the while maintaining its peculiar identity.