Ippolito 1845 Calabria Calabrise Rosso 2011
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Ippolito 1845 is one of the oldest continuous viticulture sites within Calabria, having been established over 170 years ago when Vincenzo Ippolito first carved his initials into the stonework outside his cottage in 1845 within the vineyards of Cirò. Though the region itself was heavily dedicated to ariguclture, all wines created were consumed locally. After World War I Don Vincenzo Ippolito, wishing to continue the legacy of his grandfather, returned filled with the desires to create and innovate. His first steps were to build the first modern cellar in Cirò, and over the years the industry for wine grew in the region, leading to the birth of their first two official labels, a Cirò Rosso and a Cirò Riserva, both bottled after ten years of aging in large chestnut barrels.
Following in their fathers footsteps, the two sons of Vincenzo, Antonio and Salvatore Ippolito, began to implement modern agriculture, with a drive towards mechanization without shrinking the value of quality. The first approaches to foreign markets begin with Germany and the United States. In Cirò in 1969 the grape varieties were identified as in Gaglioppo and Greco Bianco through the need for product specification for exporting. As the company continued to grow, the 60 ha of the hilly estate of Mancuso, in the heart of the DOC, was transformed into vineyards by planting only native varieties: Gaglioppo and Greco Bianco.
Now the company is run by their fifth generation, and is now made up of three estates in the heart of the Cirò DOC: Mancuso, Feudo and Difesa Piana, which span across a total of 100 hectares. These estates range in in vine age from being planted in 1972-2005, and sprawl from the rolling hills to the sunny flat lands budding up to the Ionian Sea. The soils consist of sandy-silt, alluvial, and limestone matrix. The winery has not lost sight of their focus on celebrating underrated and under-utilized indigenous grape varieties, therefore the vinayards are planted to the following: Gaglioppo, Greco Bianco, Calabrese and Pecorello.
Boldly opulent and robust, Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most widely planted red grape. Nero d’Avola performs well both as a single varietal bottling and in blends. It loves hot, arid climates and Sicily's old vines are aptly head-trained close to the ground, making them resistant to strong winds. A few pioneering producers in California as well as Australia farm Nero d’Avola in the same way. Somm Secret—Nero d’Avola's other name, Calabrese, suggests origins from the mainland region of Calabria.
As the toe of Italy’s boot and closer in proximity to Sicily than any other mainland Italian region, Calabria holds much much in common with the island by way of climate, landscape and agriculture. Calabria’s principal red grape, Gaglioppo, is also a close relative of Sicily’s famous Nerello Mascalese.
Cirò, Calabria’s most valuable appellation, covers gently sloped hills on the Ionian Sea coast. Its wines are based on the indigenous red, Gaglioppo, and can be made as single varietal wines or blended with Cabernet or Merlot. Also of interest from Calabria is the red Maglioppo, likely a relative of Sangiovese. Whites here are made of Greco.