Riccardi e Reale ‘Collepazzo’ 2019

In Lorella Reale and Piero Riccardi’s ‘collepazzo,’ or ‘crazy hills’ between Olevano Romano and Bellegra, at 300 to 600m above sea level, they have two special soil types: rich, red volcanic earth and white sand/sandstone. The duo works expressly with the historical grape Cesanese here, separating out soil types to end up with three different bottlings of the variety. This is the entry-level ‘Collepazzo,’ the herbal, friendly, purple flowers-and-herbs intro to the Cesanese grape in this appellation. We also have their 2015 riserva, if you want a more serious wine, but we love this medium-bodied, expression of the variety in the intense red tufa soils of the region. It’s perfect for marinara or bolognese pasta.