Blessed with sea and mountain climatic influences, Torre Zambra enjoys a beautiful setting in the picturesque hills of Villamagna. Winemaking is serious and methodical utilising native yeasts, a combination of concrete tank and tonneau ageing, and dedicated sustainable farming. Stunning fresh wines and gorgeous slurpable yet contemplative reds, a producer of amazing consistent quality.
50% Pecorino, 30% Passerina and 20% Trebbiano from plots around the estate, fermented and rested in stainless steel tanks before bottling.
Extensive winemaking trials and evolution see the whites now inoculated rather than wild fermented as per the reds, with reason being they ferment through quicker and cleaner and hit a more pinpoint style. Such an interesting wine here, highly aromatic and fruit-driven but with a ‘more you look, the more you see’ level of complexity. Pineapples, tinned fruit salad, lychees and tropical fruit leap out of the glass on the nose, almost a Sauvignon Blanc intensity here. These flavours continue on the palate, but there’s further elements – almonds and walnuts give a subtle bittering twist, torn mint leaves and white flowers all showing their hands. In simple terms, a delicious, super interesting textural dry white perfect for the warmer months.
From plantings around the estate. Wild fermented in stainless steel, then aged 12 months in concrete tanks before bottling.
Bright and grippy, enough juiciness for casual drinking and enough depth to take seriously. The Montepulciano grape curiously can provide impressions of oak characters in its chocolate and spice notes – whatever the case, fun drinking here with chewy tannins, baking spice, coffee and cocoa and loads of bright cherry fruit.
50% Montepulciano, 30% Sangiovese, 20% Primitivo.
Drawing inspiration from Provence here for cracking freshness, but unmistakably Italianite. An intense and refreshing style led by cherries, strawberry and damson plums, over Campari notes, crushed fennel seeds and tomato leaf, with crisply defined mineral edges. A fantastic style for food matching, a great option for broadening a rosé section, and right at home among our keenness for pink wine.
A single vineyard wine, 100% Pecorino and raised entirely in stainless steel.
Zippy! Lemon peel, a broad swathe of citrus spectrum, apricot, pineapple and tropical tones. Floral notes of white rose and acacia give the treble, with some salinity for low end. Fresh acidity and a decent body give it superb balance and versatility to pair with a wide range of food, otherwise pretty smart for drinking on its own.
Single vineyard here, wild fermented in stainless, then aged four months in concrete tanks before six months in oak; a mix of French and Slavonian barrels, 20% new, and a mix of large and small formats. More obvious seriousness here, initial impressions took us to a freshly opened bar of Old Gold Rum ‘n Raisin dark chocolate.
“Quite some oomph here. Black fruit, mint, coffee beans, dried herbs and damp earth. It’s full-bodied, opulent in dark cherry richness, lots of mocha, rich silty tannin, concentrated and bold, black forest cake too, orange peel, roasted peanut and dried herb on a finish of good length. It’s quite a lot of wine, and while the mint character rides pretty high, and there’s maybe a little too much oak influence, there’s also plenty of wine to wrap your chops around here. Throaty. Bold. etc. ” 92 points, Gary Walsh, Winefront
100% Montepulciano. Fermented wild in stainless steel, aged six months in concrete tanks, then 10 months in French and Slavonian oak tonneau, 50% new, with a further six months in bottle before release. Villamagna DOC (pronounced Villa-manya) is one of Italy’s smallest appellations at 85 hectares, hosting some five producers and two co-ops. Granted in 2011, it’s characterised by limestone and clacaire soils and sits at 120 – 250 metres elevation.
Despite weighing in at 15% alcohol against the Riserva’s 14%, it presents as a finer iteration. Varietal flavours of tobacco, cocoa and coffee are present, but fruit notes of black cherry and raspberry are more present here, with it holding a tighter line in the mouth and finishing with awesome length. Serious and extremely limited, ships in great looking wooden six packs.
