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Cantine Riccardi Reale

Collepazzo Cesanese 2015

Sale price: $26.95 Regular price:$27.95
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Tasting notes

Cesanese di Affile from a single hill with two radically different soils produces a wine that is simultaneously earthy and bright, with sour cherry, violet, and a hint of spice that holds its line through the finish. The all-cement aging keeps it lean and focused rather than soft or extracted. It drinks like a wine that knows exactly what it is.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Taste profile
Sour CherryVioletEarthSpice
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; ruby; sour cherry, violet, earth, spice; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Cesanese di Affile; certified organic and biodynamic; volcanic and Cretaceous sandstone soils; Colle Pazzo, Olevano Romano; 300m elevation
  • Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts; 10 months aging in cement; 6 months bottle rest; unfiltered; no additions
  • Serving: Serve at 57-61F; can take a slight chill; 20-30 min decant optional
  • Pairing: Roman lamb, porchetta, tomato-based pasta, aged pecorino, charcuterie
  • Similar To: For fans of earthy, high-acid reds like Pinot Noir or Trousseau who want a central Italian indigenous grape

Collepazzo is made from 100% Cesanese di Affile grown on Colle Pazzo (Crazy Hill) in Olevano Romano, about 45 kilometers east of Rome. The vineyards sit at 300 meters elevation and contain two distinct soil types side by side: red volcanic earth and white Cretaceous sandstone. Grapes from each soil type are harvested separately, then blended to make this cuvee, which represents the full expression of the hill rather than a single parcel.

Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts, with no added substances at any stage. The wine spends 10 months aging in cement tanks followed by 6 months of bottle rest before release. The approach in the cellar mirrors what happens in the vineyard: minimal intervention, no filtration, no additions.

The estate is certified organic by Suolo e Salute Lazio and also follows biodynamic practices, using green manure and organic vegetable preparations to maintain soil fertility. Vines are trained using local chestnut poles, a traditional method still practiced in this part of Lazio.

Cesanese di Affile is a small-berried subvariety considered superior in quality to the more common Cesanese Comune. It is a late-ripening grape that produces wines with bright red fruit, floral lift, earthy depth, and lively acidity when grown at altitude on varied soils like those at Colle Pazzo.

Pour this with Roman-style lamb dishes, porchetta, or anything with tomato and herbs. The acidity and earthy character also work well against aged pecorino or hard sheep's milk cheeses. It handles a slight chill in warmer months without losing structure.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Cesanese di Affile
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2015
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Lazio
Appellation:, Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Cantine Riccardi Reale

Piero Riccardi and Lorella Reale founded Cantine Riccardi Reale in 2010 in Bellegra, Piero's hometown, with the aim of preserving and reviving Cesanese, one of Lazio's most important indigenous red varieties. Piero worked as a journalist, producer, and documentary director; Lorella is a journalist, sommelier, and holds a degree in Philosophy and Applied Ethics from Rome. The two met while working together in television. Their first production vintage was 2013.

The estate today covers seven hectares spanning the neighboring communes of Bellegra and Olevano Romano, along the Monte Celeste chain, about one hour from Rome. The wines are certified organic by Suolo e Salute Lazio and the estate also follows biodynamic practices. Soil fertility is maintained through green manure and organic vegetable preparations. Vines are trained using local chestnut poles. No synthetic chemistry is used at any stage.

In the cellar, the philosophy is direct: native yeasts only, no added substances, minimal handling. Fermentation and aging take place in cement tanks, with no filtration. Grapes from Colle Pazzo are harvested by zone, separated by soil type, and then assembled into the Collepazzo blend, which represents the combined expression of both volcanic and sandstone parcels on the hill. The estate also produces single-soil Cesanese bottlings, as well as Malvasia, Rosciola, and Riesling.

Wine region

Lazio, Italy

The Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC sits in the Prenestini hills roughly 45 kilometers east of Rome in the province of Rome, Lazio. The appellation covers the commune of Olevano Romano and parts of neighboring Genazzano. Vineyards here occupy hilly terrain at elevations that provide significant diurnal temperature variation, which helps preserve acidity and aromatic lift in a grape that ripens very late even in central Italy's warm climate. Soils in the area include volcanic deposits and Cretaceous-era sandstone, both of which appear within the same hillsides and contribute to complexity in the wines.

Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC is one of three appellations built around the Cesanese grape in Lazio; the others are Cesanese di Affile DOC and the Cesanese del Piglio DOCG, located about 10 kilometers southeast. The Olevano Romano DOC permits both Cesanese di Affile and Cesanese Comune, with a minimum of 85% Cesanese required for standard wines and 90% for the Superiore designation. Cesanese di Affile, the smaller-berried subvariety, is considered the premium clone and produces wines with more finesse and aging potential. The grape is not cultivated outside Italy and remains most concentrated in the hills south and east of Rome.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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