2020 Selvadolce Crescendo

Crescendo is a wine produced with 100% Pigato grapes, a variety that has been in the area for centuries. Genetically Pigato has proven to be a clone of Vermentino however has differentiated over time developing its own characteristics. Pigato comes from 'pighe'  which means freckles in Ligurian dialect. This is in reference to the small brown spots on its skin, making Pigato Vermentino's freckly twin - As a freckly twin myself I love this analogy and could this simple difference be the key to it taking on its own personality away from its twin?. Pigato is said to hold more structure and aromatic quality than its twin along with being more stubborn in the vineyard.

The Crescendo comes from a vineyard located at the end of the Riviera di Ponente, almost on the border with France, in the hilly hinterland of Bordighera. Seven hectares managed under Biodynamic agriculture, inserted in an uncontaminated natural landscape amongst olive trees, dry stone walls and Bougainvillea. The vineyards are cultivated at an altitude of about 150-200 meters above sea level, with a southern exposure. The vines are Guyot-trained with a planting density of 7000 plants per hectare on soils of limestone and clay. The harvest is done by hand and once the grapes arrive in the cellar fermentation takes place spontaneously in wood with the use of indigenous yeasts. The wine ages in stainless steel vats on lees with batonnage for 6 months and is then bottled without clarification or filtration.