Steiger-Kalena "Passatella" Rosato, Molise, Italy 2021

FROM KERMIT LYNCH:

THE PRODUCER: In an untouched region of tremendous natural beauty, it is only normal that the farming philosophy at Steiger-Kalena is centered around sustainability. Giulio eschews chemical treatments in his vines, leaving a natural cover crop and enriching the soils with his own grape pomace and manure from their farm animals. Upon completing a cellar built into the hillside, featuring a battery of old casks, concrete tanks, and a vertical basket press acquired in Champagne, he was able to welcome his first harvest in 2019. Fermentations occur spontaneously without temperature control, and the wines are aged in concrete and neutral wood, where they rest until the unfiltered bottling.

THE WINE: Giulio and Margarita Steiger are true believers in the potential of Molise, Italy’s second-smallest region. Giulio is a native of the area, and in 2014 he and Margarita moved from Paris to Casacalenda, building their winery from scratch and planting twelve hectares of vineyards—now certified organic—to the region’s traditional red varieties. Their rosé has a sun-baked quality, with dusty red fruit, a fair bit of grip, and a distinct herbal note. Mostly Montepulciano with dashes of Aglianico and Tintilia, this is a meal-time rosé for slaking thirst and washing down a brimming bowl of herby cicerchie (pea soup) or a savory hunk of ciocavallo, a traditional cheese from the Apennine Mountains. Invite some friends over for a spirited game passatella, a centuries-old card game still played in Molise.