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Claudio Mariotto ‘Cavallina’ Derthona Timorasso 2020

Name: Claudio Mariotto 'Cavallina' Derthona Timorasso 2020
SKU: 60895
Availability: InStock

Timorasso from Piedmont, Italy, Colli Tortonesi

$105

$100ea in any 3+

$95ea in any 6+

Closure: Cork

The 2020 Cavallina is a fascinating iteration. Epic tension and minerality see it super tightly wound and taking time to resolve and build generosity. I initially tasted this over a year ago and saw the epic potential waiting for us. 6 months later it was only just starting to settle. It’s one to be patient with. While the 2021 is a delicious drink straight out of the gate the 2020 is going to need time. It has a wonderful funk that I associate with low pH wines that have seen time on lees. All the elements are there it will undoubtedly build generosity over time.

It was fascinating drinking a range of Claudio’s Timorassos with Simone his right hand man in Oct 2024. We were fortunate to be able to look at some 2018’s alongside the 2021’s and 2022’s. The evolution of Timorasso with those few years really makes for a very complete experience as wines that are already harmonious on release find absolute comfort in their own skins and build in complexity. It’s well worth holding them for 5 years+ particularly at this level of quality.

In stock

Check out all of the wines by Claudio Mariotto

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Derthona Timorasso DOC, from the Cavallina vineyard

EXPOSURE: East

PRUNING: Guyot

YIELD: about 70 q / Ha.

SOIL: Calcareous / clayey.

AREA: Village of Vho between 250-300 m a.s.l.

CULTIVATION: The vineyards are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or systemic products

HARVEST: End of September

VINIFICATION: Soft and slow pressing of the grapes, spontaneous hermocontrolled fermentation

AGING: One year on the noble yeasts in steel tanks with light battonage and at least 12 months in the bottle

The film below is in Italian. You can select sub-tittle using the cc button & then have these auto-translated selecting the ⚙ button. The translations are a bit rough but you can glean a little insight into Claudio, his vineyards & wines.

About Claudio Mariotto

During the Timorasso revival (from near extinction) in the 90’s, Claudio took over his family’s lands, began selecting the best clones from their vineyards and giving the best sites over to this fickle grape variety. As one of the few ‘saviour’ producers, Claudio, along with Walter Massa, has some of the best experience with Timorasso that there is. This counts, as the grape is particularly difficult to cultivate (one of the reasons it came close to extinction) with problems including low and uneven yields where grapes ripen at different rates in the same bunch. Timorasso finds its home in the province of Alessandria, surrounding Tortona 80 kilometres east of Alba. Claudio’s farm was founded by his great grandfather Bepi in the 1920s, and now has around 15 hectares dedicated to Timorasso.

In the Vineyard

Our vineyards enjoy a favorable microclimate as they are located close to the Apennines overlooking the Po Valley and influenced by the proximity of the sea which is only 60 km from the area.

We define our cultivation method as a common sense agriculture, without the use of pesticides, with pruning and leaf stripping that respect the vine.

The Timorasso grape is an autochthonous white berried grape from the Tortonesi Hills area.

It has been brought to the area since the Middle Ages, and over the centuries it has become the most cultivated vine in the area, until the arrival of phylloxera and the Second World War.

Years of progressive abandonment of the countryside and reduction of the area under vines followed, in which Timorasso was gradually abandoned in favor of easier and more productive varieties.

In recent years there has been the rediscovery of Timorasso, thanks to its oenological characteristics and the predisposition to aging for many years becoming a wine with great structure both in the nose and in the mouth.