The colour is medium garnet. On the nose leather, earth, chocolate and baby diapers. In the mouth simple, but pleasant. The aftertaste is rather short.
Macchiona is a biodynamic/natural red wine made with 50% Barbera and 50% Bonarda (Croatina) grapes by Elena Pantaleoni at La Stoppa winery in Rivergado, under the wide Emilia IGT appellation.
A pleasant looking, elegant, soft-spoken, woman, Elena Pantaleoni has made a series of choices that have dramatically changed La Stoppa since her tenure began in 1991. Nowadays she is among the leaders of the natural wine movement in Italy.
Macchiona has been made since 1973, when the Pantaleoni family bought La Stoppa. It is La Stoppa’s flagship wine and nowadays follows a spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts and is aged in Slavonian oak barrels of 10 and 20 hectolitres as well as in 40 hectolitre wooden tanks.
As it has too often been the case, in my experience tasting natural wines, the talks are generally way more fascinating than the drinking experience. As Stefano Pizzamiglio of La Tosa winery, which is located very close to La Stoppa winery, explained to me: “Nature left by itself produce vinaigrette, not wine.” I tend to agree with his view.
For this bottle I paid 27 EUR at the winery when I visited in 2021. For the region and the pleasure it delivers, I judge it wildly overpriced.
Country: Italy
Region: Emilia-Romagna
Grapes: Barbera, Bonarda/Croatina
Type: Red
Vintage: 2006
Producer: La Stoppa
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 2/5