The Cieli Estate
- Established in 2012, Ron is a one-man-show. While he doesn't own his own grapes, his oversight of the rows he sources from is very hands-on, and he vinifies everything personally.
- All wines, (except Dolchezza Seco) are aged for 12 months in either 1st or second use American oak barrels.
- Since he insists on having the highest level of attention to detail in the wines he makes and in using only the best grapes, his production is limited to what he can make himself. - He gets his grapes from three sources:
- A few select rows of 20-year-old vineyard sites near the valley floor of Valle de Guadalupe.
- Vines in a low elevation vineyard in Valle de San Vicente very close to the Pacific.
- 75 + year old vines in a vineyard at 3,500ft in Ojos Negros - organically farmed.
Total production: 6 wines, 750 cases
2016 Sognato di Amarone - Bodegas Cieli
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
A red wine meant to honor a classic Amarone wine from Italy, this is a red that leans more into the ripe almost stewed fruit notes, of plum, prune, spice cake and flowers. A very interesting pairing wine, for Italian food, it also partners well with a broad range of mole sauces and other preparations that are rich, spicy and have an element of sweetness.
Only 50 cases made
Drinking window: Now - 4 years
Vintage:
2016
Blend:
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Nebbiolo, 25% Syrah
Producer:
Bodegas Cieli
Winemaker:
Don Cieli - American by birth. Now a Mexican citizen.
Vineyards:
The Nebbiolo (75 years old) originates from a high elevation site in Ojos Negros (3,500 ft) composed primarily decomposed quartz, granite and volcanic debris. The Syrah and Caberent Sauvignon both come 20 year old vines from Valle de Guadalupe (900 ft, decomposed sandstone and red clay).
Winemaking:
Fermented for 10 days on the skins and seeds in stainless steel tanks and then left to soak with the skins and seeds for an additional month once being moved to the barrel. All barrels composed of American oak 1st use.
Sulfites: 35 ppm
Farming:
Organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
13.9%
