# Monte del Frà Bonomo Sexaginta Custoza Superiore (2021)

- **Producer:** Azienda Agricola Monte del Frà s.s.
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Garganega, Cortese, Trebbiano Toscano
- **Region:** Veneto, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €34
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apricot, peach, lemon, orange, blossom, butter, toast, vanilla, honey, hazelnut, dried apricot

## About this wine

The Bonomo family created the prestigious Sexaginta cuvée to celebrate their milestone 60th harvest, marking six decades since the estate's founding in 1958. Located in the morainic hills of Sommacampagna southeast of Lake Garda, the winery embarked on an experimental challenge with this wine. While the Custoza region is traditionally associated with fresh, quick-drinking white wines, the family spent years researching wood types and aging timelines to craft a deeply complex, age-worthy white wine that elevates the local terroir. This exclusive estate cru is produced in highly limited quantities and only during optimal vintages.

## Interesting facts

- Created to celebrate the Bonomo family's milestone 60th harvest, hence the Latin name 'Sexaginta'.
- Aged in a combination of oak and acacia wood tonneaux, which is highly unusual for the Custoza region.
- Extremely limited production of only 6,000 bottles, crafted only in optimal vintages every 2 to 3 years.

## Food pairing

This structured, medium-to-full-bodied white wine possesses a rich, creamy texture from lees stirring and acacia barrel aging, balanced by a vibrant mineral acidity. It pairs beautifully with rich seafood, buttery sauces, and earthy mushroom dishes, where its weight matches the food while its acidity cuts through the richness.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process begins with meticulous vineyard zonation and separate vinification of each parcel. After careful selection and destemming, the grapes undergo gentle pressing. The must is decanted and starts fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks before being transferred to 500-liter oak and acacia tonneaux. In these barrels, the wine completes alcoholic fermentation and undergoes malolactic fermentation. It is aged for 12 months on its fine lees with regular bâtonnage to enhance texture. Finally, the parcels are blended in stainless steel and aged for an additional six to eight months in the bottle before release.