I CA RO "Rosario" Lazio, Italy 2021

FROM SELECTIONATUREL

THE WINE: “Elegant but at the same time deeply material. Difficult to frame in the classic schemes of purity. Rosario is a frontier wine that reveals energy and sensuality from the first to the last sip.

The soul of Trebbiano and Malvasia meets 1/4 of the best Nero Buono in direct pressing. They unite, they influence each other, they find strength in intermingling. They ferment together, spontaneously, in fiberglass, giving unexpected acidity, elegance, fruit and depth. There is the vineyard and there is the volcano but there is also something elusive; the salt and balsamic of Mediterranean herbs.

Rosario is a hymn to freedom and letting go, it combines strength and refinement, a territorial heart and originality. Rosario is the new, half-caste rosé of the Castelli Romani!”

THE PRODUCER: In 2019 a band of four friends - Rocco, Fabio, Luca & Gianmarco - founded I CA RO (an acronym standing for i Castelli Romani) . The collective group are childhood friends, born and raised in central Rome. After working in the blossoming enoteca scene and with several small natural winemakers around Italy, they decided it was time they went to work creating a new vision of Roman wine, from the volcanic soils of the Castelli Romani just south of the city.

The wines they have set out to create embody the new, modern vision of what Roman wine culture and local terroir has to offer. They intend to change the game and shake things up, working with native grapes of course but also using a variety of vinification methods that are a combination of old-farmer wisdom and modern know-how.

The cantina is located in the village of Velletri, just south of Rome (a town you should know as it is home to our other rising star in the region, Colleformica). The tiny vineyard parcels (just 3 hectares at this point) overlook the Lago di Nemi, one of the several volcanic crater lakes that form the impressive terroir that is the Castelli Romani. The land is owned by two young friends of the winemaking gang, Paola and Luca, and they work together using biodynamic and organic practices.

In the cellar the wines come alive! Natural fermentation, scant usage of sulfur and a variety of vinification methods are employed: whole cluster, co-fermentation, clay anfora aging, etc. The resulting wines are vibrant, fresh and alive all while being exceptionally clean and balanced...wines we all want to drink with friends!

From our perspective ICARO represents the vanguard of the exciting movement happening in and around Rome. We’ve been saying for years that the reason that the Italian Natural Wine Movement felt perhaps a little behind the curve with respect to say the French movement, was because Italy lacked a central hub of culture and enthusiasm for natural wine...it lacked a Paris. Today Rome is dotted with budding new enoteche/wine bars and trattorie that focus and serve natural wine. It has become a thriving market for producers around Italy to showcase their work and, as we see with projects like ICARO, it is inspiring a new generation of winemakers to take up the practice.