# La Picciona (2016)

- **Producer:** Azienda Agricola Lusenti
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Croatina
- **Region:** Emilia-Romagna, Italy
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €29
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** plum, cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, violet, cedar, cloves, vanilla, charred wood, leather, tobacco, forest floor, prune

## About this wine

Founded in the 1960s by Nino Lusenti, Azienda Agricola Lusenti is today led by Lodovica Lusenti and her daughter Martina in Ziano Piacentino, Emilia-Romagna. The estate spans 20 hectares in the Val Tidone, dedicated to organic and natural viticulture. The cuvée name 'La Picciona' pays homage to the winery's historic hamlet location, Casa Piccioni. While Bonarda (Croatina) in the Colli Piacentini region is traditionally made into fresh, semi-sparkling wines, La Picciona stands out as a rare, ambitious still reserve red crafted for long aging.

## Interesting facts

- While most Bonarda from Colli Piacentini is semi-sparkling, La Picciona is crafted as a serious, still reserve red.
- The wine undergoes four full years of aging before release, spending 24 months in wood and 24 in bottle.
- The cuvée name pays tribute to Casa Piccioni, the historic hamlet location of the Lusenti winery.

## Food pairing

This high-tannin, full-bodied red demands rich protein and collagen to balance its dense structure. Hearty braised meats, game, and aged hard cheeses soften the natural astringency of the Croatina grape while accentuating its richness.

## Wine making process

Grapes are hand-harvested in small crates from certified organic vineyards planted on clay-limestone soils at 250 meters elevation. After destemming, fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts on skins in stainless steel tanks for 2 to 3 weeks with regular punch-downs. The wine matures for 24 months in oak barrels followed by an additional 24 months of aging in bottle before cellar release.