Villa Mercante
Villa Mercante
The Ossola Valley, located within the Parco Nazionale della Val Grande, is a pristine, wild and secluded piece of Italy. This is the northernmost part of Piemonte, surrounded by majestic mountain peaks, with a rich wine making history that goes back to medieval times. This is where you will find Villa Mercante.
Prünent is a varietal of the Nebbiolo grape, and has grown in the Ossola Valley for centuries. The vine produces a distinctive red wine. In medieval times, Prünent would be loaded into small wood casks and packed on the back of mules across the Alps to the markets of central Europe. In the archives of the local convent of Saint Francis, a hand written parchment scroll records that a fellow named Dumino da Pello gave Prünent wine to the Church in exchange for expunging his sins. The date on the scroll is May 18, 1309 AD!
Villa Mercante Prünent is a single vineyard estate owned by the same family for generations. Villa Mercante Prünent is produced at an altitude of 400 meters, in the town of Trontano. The western exposure, on the vineyard’s slopes, blesses the grapes with full sunlight all day. The granitic soil, pure mountain water and minerals create a full bodied red wine. Due to extreme micro climatic conditions of the land during past centuries, the Nebbiolo vines have mutated to a grape varietal whose unique characteristics reflect this fascinating, untamed land.
