Valpolicella Classico "Saseti"
50% Corvina/20% Corvinone/ 20% Rondinella/10% Molinara & Oseleta. Saseti is the starting point of the Valpolicella line-up, from certified-biodynamic estate vines ranging from 25-65 years old. The vineyard is a south-facing hillside of ancient terraces that have been slowly restored by the Venturini family over time (segments of it are still consist of old stone walls overgrown completely with trees, wild vines and other plant life). The vines are cultivated in pergola rather than in guyot, all the better to see and manage the plants as well as to protect the bunches from the sun and to keep them far from the moisture of the ground. The soils are crumbly limestone over limestone mother rock: in fact this wine is named "Saseti" named for the pebbles or "little stones" found in the soil.
The grapes are harvested by hand into small bins. They are destemmed and gently pressed. The fermentation is spontaneous and without sulfur in tank. Maceration is short, a week or less generally, with periodic manual punch-downs. The wine is aged in tank until the spring and then bottled without filtration and with a small amount of sulfur. On the label are the five handprints on the label are those of the Venturini family (mom Alessandra, dad Carlo and their three kids) and the words "oltre al cuore": "besides heart, only these [hands}", a reference to the purity of the wine in the bottle.