Cesanese del Piglio

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The production zone is a high- and mid-hillside territory of approximately 15,317 hectares on the slopes of the Monti Ernici, in the upper Sacco valley, in the province of Frosinone.
• The soils are predominantly red earths (terre rosse), derived from the erosion of the Monti Ernici by glacial action and rainwater, with a dark-red coloration caused by free iron and aluminium oxides.
• The red earths, formed through the decalcification of calcareous sedimentary rocks, have a clay-silt texture in their heavier forms, or are loose with calcareous detritus in the less widespread detrital variants.
• The vineyards are cultivated at altitudes ranging from 220 to 980 metres above sea level, with variable slopes and a general aspect oriented toward the west and south-west.
• The climate is temperate and transitional, with mean annual rainfall between 1,098 and 1,233 mm, a mean annual temperature between 13.5 and 15.6 °C, and a mean minimum temperature in the coldest month between 2.1 and 3.3 °C.
• Red earths with a clay-silt texture are generally found at altitudes above 500 metres above sea level, or at lower elevations where slopes exceed 10%.

• The Statutes of the Terra di Piglio, issued on 30 May 1479, contained chapters establishing the areas to be designated as vineyard land and the criteria for determining the harvest date.
• The wine was granted DOC status in 1973 by Presidential Decree of 29 May 1973, and was subsequently elevated to DOCG by Ministerial Decree of 1 August 2008.
• The grape varieties authorised for production are those traditionally cultivated in the area, namely Cesanese di Affile and Cesanese Comune.
• The red-wine production practices traditionally established in the zone differ between the base wine type and the Riserva and Superiore types, the latter two requiring mandatory periods of ageing and bottle refinement.

• The base Cesanese del Piglio displays a ruby-red colour with violet highlights, an intense nose with floral and fruity notes of berries and stone fruits, and a dry, harmonious, medium-bodied palate.
• The Riserva wine type develops garnet highlights with ageing and shows floral and fruity notes that gradually give way to spicy or wood-derived phenolic characters.
• All wines show a normal acidity on the palate, barely perceptible bitterness, low astringency, and good structure, which can sometimes tend toward the lighter side in the base wine type.

• The slow and complete ripening of the grapes, favoured by abundant rainfall, summer aridity, and good autumn sunshine, contributes significantly to the distinctive organoleptic characteristics of the wine.
• The combination of soil characteristics and climatic factors produces optimal phenolic ripeness which, together with a good sugar-to-acid balance, makes it possible to obtain wines of high structure and harmony.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0680
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di tutela del Cesanese del Piglio