April 16th – Your first Riserva is something you don’t forget. Genesi 2016, the Ruchè Castagnole Monferrato D.O.C.G. from Cantine Sant’Agata that – for the first time – can boast the appellation “Riserva”, has just been launched onto the market: in fact, it is the very first wine to be offered to consumers with this new denomination.
There is now, therefore, the possibility for this wine that was generally considered to be for immediate drinking to be subjected to a longer maturation period of 24 months, of which at least 12 are spent in wooden barrels, as approved by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. The body promoting this request for a change in the production regulations was the Consortium of Barbera d’Asti and the Wines of the Monferrato.
A few years ago, Cantine Sant’Agata began a process of selecting vineyards, from which the grapes are vinified (and the resulting wines aged) separately. Now the winery’s owner Franco Cavallero is happy to be able to give added value to his efforts by distinguishing his products of excellence with the appellation “Riserva”, thus also providing the consumer with greater transparency.
«The need to have a Riserva appellation stems from the marketplace, because Ruchè now arrives in various markets abroad and is drunk by different kinds of clients» Franco explains. «In the ‘90s, Ruchè was only vinified in the classic version, without any aging. Then the D.O.C.G. arrived, which permitted us to consolidate the importance of this variety by allowing us to mention the specific vineyard, but that still wasn’t enough. We had to succeed in giving all the wines we produce a real identity and now – finally – we can».
The Ruchè Genesi is Cantine Sant’Agata’s flagship wine. Produced only in outstanding vintages after drying the grapes in small crates for around 3 weeks, it then matures in barrels of different sizes for about 3 years, before resting for a further 6 months in egg-shaped stainless steel tanks.
This wine represents a voyage through my life, retracing my stages of growth and my dreams, and for this reason acquiring the Riserva appellation was a goal that I yearned for, and worked towards over time. I am proud that ours is the first company to claim this new appellation with the wonderful 2016 vintage Franco concludes.
