2016 Granato

The 2016 Granato has a streamlined elegance that I love. This pure expression of Teroldego sees partial stem inclusion during fermentation (for a third of the total mass). Fermentation occurs in oak with skin contact that lasts 20 days. After that, it goes into oak for 15 months. The stem inclusion clearly adds more structure and a clean tannin bite that is otherwise hard to achieve with this grape. The Foradori family has been experimenting with stems since 2013, but the first vintage released with this technique was 2015. The goal is to extract the firmness, without any bitterness. Grapes were harvested on the late side at the end of September and beginning of October in 2016 (a vintage that saw cool temperatures and rain in advance of harvest). However, the wine's dark blackberry and blueberry characteristics remain enticing and exuberant. Give this wine a few more years of bottle aging to put on more weight. Some 20,000 bottles were made.