“I Don’t Like Mineral Water”: The Iconoclastic Wines of Ida Agnoletti (Postcard from Asolo Prosecco, Part 4)
In a lot of ways, Ida Agnoletti represents the antithesis of everything that we in the States think that we know about Prosecco.
In a region known for large production houses, she farms only 8 hectares of vines, much of them nearing 70 years of age, making about 50,000 bottles a year, and farming without the use of chemicals.
In a locale known for its simple, immediately appealing bubbly, she focuses on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
With gorgeously manicured hillside vineyards, her plots sit on iron-rich vineyard soils in Selva del Montello in a spot that’s more-or-less in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
At many of the large producers that I visited during a media jaunt to the Asolo Prosecco region, the winemaking facilites were so clean that you could’ve eaten off of their floors. Ida Agnoletti’s farmhouse, with its 200+ year old wood ceiling supports and her dogs running with abandon about the property, was… well, not that.
As Agnoletti herself describes, things at her estate are “a little bit different.”
“I’m tired [of tasting] Prosecco and they are all similar,” she mused. “It’s not for me. I’m finding new things; the ‘real’ Prosecco. Because I love personality.”
If Agnoletti’s wines have anything, it’s personality. Lots of it. And they were among the more iconoclastic—and unique—wines fro the region that I’ve ever tried…
2022 Ida Agnoletti Sui Lieviti ‘PSL Always’ Frizzante, Colli Trevigiani, $NA
Aged sur lie with secondary fermentation (using indigenous yeasts) taking place in the bottle, this is a low-sulfite take on Prosecco. Green apple, saline, minerals, and crushed flower petals mark the nose, while the palate features rustic pear fruit, great acidity, and a biscuit-like character. Texturally fascinating, and well-crafted, this Pet-Nat style Prosecco has “hipster” written all over it, in a good way.
NV Ida Agnoletti ‘Selva No. 55’, Asolo Prosecco, $25
Agnoletti clearly goes for body in her sparklers, and this salty, dry, and lithely textured Prosecco is no exception. With notes of saline, pear, and bruised apples, this is quite a foodie wine, despite the relatively lower acidity and enhanced sense of palate structure. Long, savory, and full of, yes, personality.
2021 Ida Agnoletti ‘La Ida’ Merlot, Montello Asolo, $NA
About 1 third of this 100% Merlot is aged in tonneau for twelve months. Opening with juicy plums, black olives, and dried herbs, it’s a broad, balanced red with herbal tinges and definitely enough tannic oomph for bottle aging. It’s still young, but is already delivering the goods.
2021 Ida Agnoletti ‘Seneca’ Montello Rosso, Colli Trevigiani, $NA
Agnoletti’s older vines source this blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which is aged in oak for one year. Yes, it’s funky, but fortunately the funk comes in the form of smoked meat goodness, complimenting the savory black fruit flavors and dried herb notes. Juicy and deep, with saline hints, long tannins, and excellent minerality, this red has a nice, long life ahead of it (for giggles, we also opened the 2019 and while it has more structure at its core, its complexity and development bode very well for the future of this `21).
2021 Ida Agnoletti ‘Love Is’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Colli Trevigiani, $NA
Aged only in stainless steel, this Cab is direct and delicious. Blackcurrant, red plum, dried herbs, graphite, fine acidity, and a lively texture make it an absolute joy to imbibe. Notes of dried sagebrush, sea salt, and baking spices complete the package.
Cheers!
