Il Mostro "Ragana" Frizzante Bianco Terre di Chieti, 2020

Il Mostro was conceived as a new experimental project from Poggio Anima. The names of the wines are derived from children's bedtime warnings throughout Europe. This is a single-vineyard wine from the Monteodorisio Vineyard in Chieti, Abruzzo. 'Ragana' is an ancient pre-Indo-European spirit and a powerful prophetess who reveals the future. She is best known in the Baltic states and is thought to rule over fertility and regeneration and is the guardian of nature's cycles: creation, growth, decline and destruction. In many ways she is the spirit of balance. It is this encompassing life cycle which inspired this vinous concoction.

The Pecorino and Riesling were hand-harvested from two blocks that sit in an amphitheater that wraps around from southeast to northeast and ascending from 750 to 850 feet in elevation. The majority of the grapes were cooled down at the winery and fermented at a cool 60ºF with the remaining grapes being whole-bunch pressed to tank and chilled very cold to prevent fermentation and held in tank. Primary fermentation occurred naturally in a sealed stainless-steel tank and when the wine reached 15 g/L residual sugar the tank was cooled down in order to hold the ferment at 10 g/L. The wine was bottled and topped with more of the unfermented juice from tank and the bottles were crown sealed. Secondary fermentation occurred over the next 2-3 months and the wine was released without disgorgement.

Grapes: 85% Pecorino - 15% Riesling
Soil Type: Shallow sandy, clay loam with limestone deposits
Vine Age: 15-years-old (Pecorino) - 35-years-old (Riesling)
Fermentation: Native – stainless steel
Skin Contact: None
Aging: 2 weeks in stainless-steel then bottled at 10g/L RS and aged for 2-3 months in bottle
Alcohol: 12.23%