Boca
Boca is an important wine growing region for Nebbiolo, but what distinguishes it from its neighbors is the enigmatic Vespolina
grape. The significance of Vespolina is not only the tradition in but in how it adds a unique dimension of spice and honey to Nebbiolo’s complexity and a softness to its edge.
Appellation: Boca DOC
Type: Red Wine
Blend: 85% Nebbiolo, 15% Vespolina
Vespolina is a relative of Nebbiolo and very difficult to grow as it is extremely sensitive to illness and rainy and humid weather, and produces very low yields.
Color: Garnet red with a red-orange rim.
Bouquet: Dried cherry, tar and roses with a soft hint of sweet ripe fruit and spice.
Taste: Flavors are reminiscent of well-matured wild berries, tobacco and leather with hints of balsamic and nuanced citrus note. Power and silky elegance develop in the mouth which plays with a slightly noble-bitter finish. The complexity of taste allows one to discover new facets over and over again.
Alcohol: 12.5-14.0% (varies with vintage).
Total Acidity: 5.4-6.5 g/l
Serving Suggestion: Serve at a 16-17°C (61-63°F) in a tall, fairly wide goblet.
Pairing: Red and white meats, especially roasted pork, game birds, rabbit, stuffed pasta in brown or butter sauces, mushroom and truffle dishes, medium-aged dry cheeses.
Production Area: Province of Novara between Valle Sesia and the lake of Orta in the Lower Alps.
Vineyards: From several vineyards with varying characteristics. Traversagna – 40-year-old vines at 400-450 meters (1,300 to 1,475 feet) a.s.l. Le Piane (the old vineyard of Antonio Cerri) – over 60-years-old Guyot-trained vines at 420-500 meters (1,375 – 1,700 feet) a.s.l. And the new Bocca Vineyards in Mottosergo, Meridiana, Valvecchi, and Traversagna – Guyot training. 6.0 hectares of vineyards with a vine density of 5,000 plants per hectare, and a southern exposure.
Vineyard Age: 40 - 100 years old.
Soil: Minerally gravel, porphyry soil.
Harvest: Middle of October.
Vinification: Long fermentation with the skins (30 days) in open steel and wood casks (2000-3000 litres) with natural yeast. The skins are pushed down once a day by hand (Follatura a mano) and after long maceration up to 40 days the wine is pressed and the freeflow-wine goes together with the press wine immediately to the oak barrels.
Aging: 3-to-4-years in oak barrels (2000-3000 litres). The malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneous in spring after harvest in the wooden casks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 6-months in bottle before release.
