Cefalicchio Romanesque Nero di Troia Red Canosa Reserve 2015

Cefalicchio is a charming estate nestled in the picturesque hills near Canosa di Puglia, in southern Italy’s historic wine region of Apulia. With origins dating back to the 19th century, the Rossi family carefully restored this historic winery, fully embracing biodynamic and organic principles. Committed to harmony with nature, Cefalicchio creates authentic, terroir-driven wines that highlight local varietals. Romanesque, their prestigious Nero di Troia Reserve, showcases the estate’s remarkable ability to combine tradition with elegant modernity, breathing new life into this historic variety from the Puglian terroir.

The vineyards at Cefalicchio enjoy a unique combination of rich limestone and calcareous clay soils. These soils, combined with the Mediterranean climate—warm, sun-filled days and cooling breezes from the Adriatic Sea—enable the Nero di Troia grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. This careful ripening preserves the grapes’ distinctive acidity and fine tannic structure, allowing complex aromatics to fully develop. Cefalicchio employs organic and biodynamic farming practices, meticulous grape selection, and traditional winemaking techniques, including gentle maceration and extended ageing in both large Slavonian oak and smaller French oak barrels, creating depth, elegance, and remarkable complexity in their wines.

Appearance: Deep ruby-red colour, gracefully evolving toward garnet hues at the rim, demonstrating elegant maturity. Impressive clarity and brilliance, revealing gentle transparency and rich viscosity with slow-moving, elegant tears softly coating the glass, indicative of a wine of considerable structure and depth.

Aroma: Intricate, inviting aromas of dark cherries, ripe plums, and wild blackberries, mingling harmoniously with intriguing hints of dried herbs, liquorice, leather, and delicate spice. Nuanced layers of tobacco leaf, cocoa, and subtle Mediterranean herbs emerge gradually, adding sophistication and depth.

Taste: Beautifully structured and elegantly balanced palate, showcasing ripe dark cherries, plums, blackberries, and hints of dried figs. Complex secondary flavours of tobacco, leather, cocoa, and sweet spices blend harmoniously with silky, mature tannins and well-integrated acidity, providing depth, finesse, and impressive refinement.

Finish: Exceptionally long, polished finish with graceful, lingering impressions of ripe dark fruits, cocoa, subtle Mediterranean herbs, and gently earthy minerality. The wine’s velvety tannins fade gracefully, leaving behind warmth, complexity, and elegance.

Food Pairing: Superb paired with grilled lamb chops marinated in rosemary and garlic, accompanied by roasted Mediterranean vegetables, or slow-braised beef ragu served over handmade pappardelle pasta, finished with aged Pecorino cheese.