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Du Cropio vineyard

Du Cropio

Du Cropio in local dialect means “doctor of agronomy” and reflects the fact that the Ippolito family has long been involved in the growing of grapes in the region.

On occasion, and over many years, we have cast a glance at a map of the southern reaches of Italy and have contemplated making an extensive exploration of regions not represented in our portfolio. Each time, after dipping our toes into the water and finding it to be tepid at best, we have conserved our energy and concentrated on our work in the northern and western reaches of Italy. To my great surprise and delight then, I encountered Giuseppe Ippolito, proprietor of the Du Cropio estate in Ciro Marina (Calabria), and his wines at a dinner I attended in Rome in December 2011 with our dear friend, Luigi Anania, producer extraordinaire of Brunello di Montalcino at his estate “La Torre”.

Expecting either light, insipid wines or overripe “confettura”, I was stunned by the elegance, breed and complexity of the three red wines of the Du Cropio estate which we drank that night over dinner. It was enough to oblige me to catch a plane from Milan to Crotone in Calabria in March of 2012 to visit Giuseppe at the estate to confirm this phenomenon in situ. The town of Ciro Marina sits on the Ionian Sea facing Greece, the land from which the “local” grapes of this area originated, transported across the sea nearly 3000 years ago. The area remains primitive and raw in a certain sense with sea breezes cooling the zone and steep hillsides just meters inland that sit as a backdrop to the ocean setting and provide a challenging but compelling site for the vines of Galliopo, Malvasia Nera and Greco Nero.

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The estate encompasses a total of thirty (30) hectares, eight (8) of which are on the plains immediately inland from and within the confines of the town of Ciro Marina and twenty-two of which are tucked into the hillsides surrounding the village of Ciro, several more miles inland and at a considerably higher elevation. The soil, a mix of clay and limestone, is poor with excellent drainage which is reinforced by the steeply sloped hillside vineyards, conditions that are ideal for producing small crops of highly concentrated fruit. Most of the grapes harvested at the estate are sold either at the time of harvest or as bulk wine thereafter. Then, the finest wines are kept to be vinified at the estate and sold as “Du Cropio”.

Three red wines are produced: a Calabria Rosso called “Serra Sanguigna”, a Ciro Rosso Classico Superiore known as “Dom Giuva” and a Ciro Rosso Riserva named “Damis”. The vineyards are maintained according to organic principles with some of the vineyards now being worked by horse and plow. At harvest, the grapes are crushed and undergo the primary fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel cuves; then, the wines are ultimately racked into large oak “botte” to age before being bottled. The wines are neither fined nor filtered and they are left to age further in bottle for 18 months before being released to the market.

Farming

Certified Organic Grapes, Practicing Organic Vinification

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only, cover crops sown between the vines

Ploughing

Annual ploughing by horse to promote vineyard health

Soils

Limestone-clay on mostly southeast-facing slopes

Vines

Trained in Cordon de Royat and planted in couplets at c. 7,000-10,000 vines/ha to severely restrict yields. Average age 35-40 years

Yields

Controlled via severe pruning and debudding

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in early October

Sourcing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

After sorting, destemming, and crushing, wines ferment spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvaison lasts c. 30 days

Extraction

A combination of punchdowns and pumpovers depending on the vintage

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic bladder press

Malolactic Fermentation

Occurs spontaneously following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

15-18 months in 25-50-hl neutral botti, with all racking and movement carried out via parastaltic pump

lees

7-8 months

Fining and Filtration

All wines are unfined and unfiltered

sulfur

Applied when necessary during ageing and at bottling, with c. 20 mg/l free sulfur on release

Farming

Certified Organic Grapes, Practicing Organic Vinification

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only, cover crops sown between the vines

Ploughing

Annual ploughing by horse to promote vineyard health

Soils

Limestone-clay on mostly southeast-facing slopes

Vines

Trained in Cordon de Royat and planted in couplets at c. 7,000-10,000 vines/ha to severely restrict yields. Average age 35-40 years

Yields

Controlled via severe pruning and debudding

Harvest

Entirely manual, usually in early October

Sourcing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

After sorting, destemming, and crushing, wines ferment spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvaison lasts c. 30 days

Extraction

A combination of punchdowns and pumpovers depending on the vintage

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic bladder press

Malolactic Fermentation

Occurs spontaneously following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

15-18 months in 25-50-hl neutral botti, with all racking and movement carried out via parastaltic pump

Lees

7-8 months

Fining & Filtration

All wines are unfined and unfiltered

Sulfur

Applied when necessary during ageing and at bottling, with c. 20 mg/l free sulfur on release

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