Lino Maga LINO MAGA MONTEBUONO 2019 Pavia Rosso

Description

Montebuono 2019 by Lino Maga is a wine that represents the other side of the production of this iconic winemaker from Oltrepò Pavese. While Barbacarlo is its most famous wine, Montebuono is the perfect complement, expressing another facet of the Broni territory.

Lino Maga, born in 1931, is a legendary figure in the Italian wine scene. Its production philosophy, based on the utmost respect for nature and traditions, is also reflected in Montebuono. This wine takes its name from the vineyard of the same name, located a short distance from the Barbacarlo vineyard, but with slightly different soil and climate characteristics. The Montebuono vineyard is located at an altitude of approximately 250 meters above sea level, on less steep slopes than the Barbacarlo. The soil is always characterized by the presence of calcareous marl, but with a more significant clay component. This composition of the soil, combined with the south-west exposure, gives the wine a distinctive personality, with a softer and more enveloping structure than its “big brother”.

Montebuono 2019 is a blend that reflects the tradition of the Oltrepò Pavese, composed mainly of Croatina (approximately 70%), with the addition of Barbera (20%) and a small percentage of Uva Rara and Ughetta. The vines have an average age of 40 years and are trained in Guyot, with a planting density of approximately 4500 plants per hectare. The yield is kept low, around 40-45 quintals per hectare, to guarantee the maximum concentration of the grapes. The vinification of Montebuono follows the same natural and traditional approach as Barbacarlo.

The harvest is manual, with careful selection of the bunches. The fermentation is spontaneous, carried out with indigenous yeasts in open wooden vats. No sulphites are added and the wine does not undergo clarification or filtration. Aging takes place in medium-sized oak barrels for approximately 18 months. Montebuono 2019 appears in the glass with an intense and brilliant ruby ​​color. On the nose, it offers a complex and fascinating bouquet, with notes of ripe red fruits (cherry, blackberry), sweet spices, a balsamic touch and light hints of leather and tobacco. On the palate, the wine is broad and enveloping, with silky and well-integrated tannins.

The typical freshness of Maga wines is present, but in a more contained way compared to Barbacarlo, making Montebuono more approachable in its youth. This wine perfectly embodies the philosophy of Lino Maga: an authentic and sincere expression of the territory, produced with ancestral and uncompromising methods.