Producer Azienda Agricola Aurete

LAZIO

The Aurete biodynamic farm was born in 2016 from the passion of three friends for natural artisan wine and from the desire to bring the territory of Esperia to the fore, with its great wine vocation. The town of Esperia, perched on Mount "Cecubo", a few kilometers from the Gulf of Gaeta, is located in a naturalistic oasis, the Natural Park of the Aurunci Mountains, between sea and mountains where the cold currents of the Abruzzo National Park meet and the hottest ones in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The vine has always been cultivated here, a millenary tradition that originates in pre-Roman times and has continued to the present day. The territory in ancient times was part of the Caecubus Ager "Formianum", a place of choice in the production of wine in ancient Rome, a favorite of Cicero who bought wine there while he went from Arpino to the villa of Formia and from the poet Horace who defined its vineyards "tonic vineyards". The orogeny is the result of tectonic movements that led to the ascension of rocky layers dating back to the Cretaceous period, as evidenced by the recent discovery of the footprints of Sauropods and Theropods in the vicinity of our vineyards. The reliefs of the area are famous among hikers and speleologists for the numerous caves, sinkholes and hypogea resulting from the karst phenomena characteristic of this part of the Aurunci. The karst erosion of the carbonate rocks has led to the formation of small "Monticelli" hills downstream from which the name of the hamlet where our company is located derives. The soils have a reddish-brown color derived from enrichment in oxides due to the dissolution of surface rocks. The flourishing biodiversity, the sea breeze coming from Minturno and the particular orography that recreates a sort of natural amphitheater help to create perfect pedoclimatic conditions for viticulture. The company consists of 4 hectares of vineyards of which 1.5 hectares make up the "Aurete" vineyard planted in 2018, 2 hectares the "Via Romana" vineyard and half a hectare the centenary "Cariano" graft vineyard dating back to around 1840. . The added value of the territory is the presence of numerous native vines (about 19 have been identified) among which the Raspato Nero and the Reale Bianca that we have recovered through a mass selection from centuries-old vineyards with the help of the expert nurseryman Marco Moroni stand out. and which in March 2021 were entered by Arsial in the national and regional register. We dedicated the first two years of company life to the enrichment of clayey and mineral-rich soils (in particular iron and magnesium) through the principles of biodynamics with the advice of Michele Lorenzetti and preparations by Carlo Noro. Preparato 500, 501, biodynamic heap, green manure and manual processing have made the earth alive and ready for planting the vineyards with the aforementioned native varieties and Syrah. We apply biodynamic farming techniques to promote the development of soil microbiology and the formation of humus. We consider each vineyard as a small ecosystem where a balance between flora and fauna must reign, where everything is connected. The plant, in fact, through chlorophyll photosynthesis, releases the nourishment from the roots for the microbial community of the soil which in turn returns favor in an osmotic relationship of mutual enrichment and exchange. Our slogan "MEMENTO VITAE" remembers life is a warning to always remember that what arrives in the glass has a genesis, it is created with earth, air, sun, water and human wisdom. Even if it may seem like a paradox, we think that producing artisanal wine requires a higher technicality than conventional wine, it cannot be corrected, made, sweetened or mystified is an ethical and professional choice. From the first experimental vinifications it was evident that everything depends on the work in the vineyard and on the health of the soil because to have excellent results it is necessary to bring healthy grapes that have reached the 4 levels of ripeness, rich in nitrogen, to the cellar to start that magical journey. which is fermentation. Our wines are a mirror of the vintage, of the moods of our land, a reflection of the agronomic management and of the love for each single plant that has its own individuality and peculiar characteristics. In the vinification we play in subtraction: “LESS IS MORE !!!”: spontaneous fermentations, punching down, long macerations for the white grapes, batonnage, aging in amphora, decanting and nothing more. In our wines we seek freshness, fruit, territoriality, drinkability, palatability for the body, identity of the terroir. We accompany the wine in progress.