Costabosco 2024

Costabosco 2024 is a natural wine crafted by La Stoppa, in the Emilia Romagna region in Italy. This orange wine is made with Malvasia di Candia Aromatica grapes and is similar in style to the current (delicious) Ageno 2022, however this one is a touch lighter and more approachable without aging.

La Stoppa is one of those estates that has quietly shaped what natural wine looks like in Emilia-Romagna. Based in Rivergaro in the Piacentine hills, east of Piacenza, Elena Pantaleoni took over from her father and spent the following years ripping out the international varieties he'd planted (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay etc) and replacing them with something that actually belongs there.

The winery's flagship wine Ageno which you may know is a long- macerated orange wine made from Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and this alongside their delightful table red Trebbiolo put them on the map internationally. Costabosco is a brand new wine from the same thinking, also using the same grape.

The grapes come from a parcel where the vineyard borders the woodland (costabosco means edge of the wood), where cooler temperatures and filtered light slow the ripening down. The grapes were given around 30 days of skin maceration, then aged partly in large old Slavonian oak casks and partly in tank for a year, with no sulphur added. 

It’s tangy, with a huge burst of ripe citrus and macerated apricots alongside cream, thyme and some medicinal herbs. Soft, mild tannins but powerful and expressive. A real winner with a saline mineral tension running through everything.