Boca, “Plinius I”
Plinius was born of an accidental circumstance: a batch of Nebbiolo for Boca had been fermented in an open steel tank. But it was an insulated tank: after 4-5 days of fermentation, the temperatures were sky-high and continued to rise, the musts had gone crazy and reached 38 degrees. In all the oenology manuals, they say that above 35 degrees fermentation stops. And indeed, having reached the peak of 38 degrees, it stopped, with still 12 grams of residual sugar per litre. On the thirtieth day, Christoph racked and put the wine in a warm place (another move forbidden by the manuals, because at such times there is a risk of acetic development). From October 2007 to the following January, the wine rested at a constant 20 degrees Celsius, until in January the Babo degrees had dropped to zero, so that all the sugars were slowly consumed: on tasting, Künzli says, it looked like an oxidised Montepulciano, with hints of cooked plums… But never give up, because from then on, on tasting, the wine slowly improved, and the notes of cooked plums disappeared. Until, in the third year, it was decided to extend the stay in wood. In the fourth year, the wine was still ‘moving’ in the barrel, causing a few rare bubbles to rise from the filler. One more year in wood, to arrive at five. Mellowed by a vespolina blend (it is therefore a Boca to all intents and purposes), and a long soak in the bottle, here is this marvel. Künzli sums up the Plinius story in three words: respect, project, expectation.
Appellation: Boca DOC
Type: Red Wine
Blend: 85% Nebbiolo, 15% Vespolina