CàMatta di Lonardi Alessandro

From the classica zone of Valpolicella, high up in the comune of Marano di Valpolicella at circa 350m asl on ancient Eocenic sedimentary limestone, sandstone & red volcanic basalt soils, is found the tiny 3ha CàMatta estate belonging to Alessandro Lonardi.

Schooled as an agronomist, with a passion for Recioto, Alessandro is the first generation to bottle his family’s fruit, having working alongside his nonni since 2007; these days he’s helped by his compagna Susan & son James. He released his first label in vintage 2012, converting the vineyards to organic in 2016 (certified in 2019). He works only with pergola veronese (offering protection from the sun, hail, & deer!), & is fortunate to own vineyards dating back to 1964, along with more recent plantings in 1987 & 2015. He tends eight vineyards in total, all in Marano, notably in the crus of Tenda (exposed & warmer) & Purano, cooler thanks to being higher up. One of his prized local varieties for making his Recioto is the Rebo grape, rich in colour & zucchero!

In 2015 he completed a smart new cantina, complete with vertical, static, stainless fermenters, botti grandi & tonneaux. He’s helped in the cantina by Enzo Bertolazzi, an enologo from Alto Adige. He uses the oak judiciously, while employing selected yeast for more control. Total sulphur is approx. 65mg/Litro. Production is currently only 10k bts/anno. He bottles with technical twin-disc & natural cork closures from Portokorc.