Ticino, Orizzonte, Christian Zündel - 2018

Viticulture

Orizzonte is a cuvée made from several different parcels, all located in the Malcantone, in the commune of Croglio at an average altitude of 380 m: Orizzonte, one of the oldest Merlot vines in Ticino, with a core age of 80 years. Christian Zündel acquired it in the early 1980s when he moved to Ticino. Castelrotto, a terroir with a lot of gneiss and a moraine strip in the middle. The Sass (the stone in patois), a terroir that gives rise to wines of great rectitude and which, in certain vintages, is isolated to give rise to a special vintage. Finally, Villa Orizzonte accounts for 30% of the blend and, due to its location on an area of moraine deposits, gives it a spherical character.

Oenology

The vinification is identical to Terraferma. The wine is generally aged in oak barrels (about 10% new wood) for a longer period (20-22 months). Some of the older vines are bottled after a longer ageing period under the indications of the Villa and Sass crus.

Suggestions for accompaniment

After decanting, it can be served with a fine rib of beef, a 7 o'clock leg of lamb or a game terrine.