Monte Dall'Ora Valpolicella Classico Saseti 2022

Located in the center of Valpolicella on one of the five ridges that descend the valley (which resemble the fingers of a hand), Monte Dall'Ora is the creation of Carlo Venturini and his wife, Alessandra Zantedeschi. Both are from vigniaoli families but decided to start fresh with their own estate in 1995. At the time, the purchased terraces were in terrible condition, and everything had to be rebuilt.

Vines are either selection massale or grafted on American rootstock. Carlo has chosen to work with (and, in some cases, replant) the region's traditional varietals: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Oseleta (a lost Indigenous grape). The estate was worked organically until 2006 when the couple converted to biodynamic agriculture. The soils are unique and composed of limestone with a reddish hue. The first 15 meters are very soft and porous, permitting the vines' roots to penetrate deep into the subsoil.

The vines are all trained in the Pergola style. Carlo thought about training the vines in Guyot but quickly changed his mind regarding climate and quality control. In many regions, growers continue to use Pergolas because this vine-tending system produces very high yields; while often inconsequential to the health of the grapes, the widespread justification is that Pergolas are necessary to protect the fruit from the sun.

This is true in Valpolicella's case: Corvina and Corvione are both very susceptible to sunlight. They are also very vigorous varietals: bunches would get too big with Guyot and become prone to illness. Pergola creates more air and space between clusters; the plants are more separated, which results in smaller and more concentrated bunches.

Instead of worrying about lower yields for higher concentration (an easy goal with Guyot but very hard to accomplish with Pergola), Carlo prefers focusing his energy on balance in the vineyard. This essentially means promoting agricultural and natural biodiversity instead of just vine tending. Grass grows free, with cherry and olive trees complementing the entirety of the vineyard. This work philosophy continues through the winemaking.

Veneto is one of the most important wine regions in Italy. It is located in the northeastern corner of the peninsula. It borders Trentino-Alto Adige (north), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (northeast), Emilia-Romagna (south), and Lombardy (west). Veneto's most populous capital is Venice, followed by Verona, Padua, Vicenza, Treviso, and Rovigo. The east coast of Lake Garda, the biggest Italian lake, is part of Veneto, as is the tract of Alpine foothills called Venetian Prealps.

Veneto is the leading Italian region in wine production, even though wine-producing areas such as Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy, Puglia, and Sicily all have bigger territories. Some of its most famous wines are Amarone della Valpolicella, Valpolicella, Soave, and Prosecco. Other less-known but equally delicious wines are Recioto della Valpolicella, Recioto di Gambellara, Raboso del Piave, and Bardolino.

Veneto's main characteristic is perhaps the great variety of wine produced, obtained mostly from indigenous grape varietals – Corvina, Glera, and Garganega being the most common. This is due as much to its specific geography and climate as to rather peculiar winemaking techniques, such as the grape drying technique employed to make Amarone della Valpolicella, Veneto's most famous red wine.