Pedemontis, 'Arajs', Roero Arneis

A soft and refreshing Italian white from the Arneis grape with a delicately aromatic bouquet of exotic fruits, pear and acacia honey.

Producer Note

Pedemontis is a family business covering 260 hectares of vineyard, forest, truffle fields and hazelnut groves, often in marginal areas which have been saved from abandonment and patiently brought back to life to promote a project based on sustainable agriculture. 13 hectares of mature vineyard, along with two younger plots that are being nurtured, are planted on the hills of Roero and Langhe. Pedemontis produces oxygen from its forests and follows an agricultural philosophy which leaves no carbon footprint, while promoting the natural symbiosis between nature, agriculture, and human environment. Local, traditional varieties are grown such as Barbera, Nebbiolo, Arneis and Favorita, which have been brought back to life and reintroduced within the concept of ‘closed-cycle viticulture’ - best represented by a team of 30 donkeys who roam the vineyards feeding on the wild grasses, who in turn fertilise the vineyard with their organic compost. Pedemontis produces distinctive fine and elegant wines with wonderful purity, innate freshness and delicate aromatic richness.

Vineyard

Roero Arneis is making a comeback, having fallen out of fashion due to its poor yields and challenging character in being cultivated. Fortunately, it is being nurtured at Pedemontis, where the grapes come from the Roero region, which is characterised by rugged and often steep slopes that are cut by rivers and small bodies of water. Long ago, it was a coastal area, and this can still be seen in the large presence of sand mixed with limestone that forms the soils, with the presence of fossilised shells and imbue the wine with finesse. The grapes for this wine come from a 0.45-hectare plot, situated around the ideal elevation of 270 metres above sea level in the DOCG Roero Arneis appellation. The vines have an average age of nine years and are Guyot trained. They are cultivated with minimal intervention; treatments are as limited as possible and minimal canopy management takes place. Early morning harvesting by hand takes place into small baskets.

Winemaking

A short cryomaceration took place, followed by de-stemming and gentle pressing. The must was fermented at cool temperatures with selected yeasts and remained on the fine lees for less than five months with regular bâtonnage imparting texture.

Tasting Note

A soft and refreshing Italian white from the Arneis grape with a delicately aromatic bouquet of exotic fruits, pear and acacia honey.

Grape 

Arneis 100%