Massimago

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Pergola vines at the end of 2013-2014 wintertime, at the Massimago cru

Pergola vines at the end of 2013-2014 wintertime, at the Massimago cru

  • Contact: Camilla Rossi Chauvenet
  • Where: Mezzane di Sotto (see map below)
  • Website: www.massimago.com
  • N. bottles produced / year: 45,000
  • Vineyards: 10 ha. (24.7 acres)
  • Farming: Sustainable farming with some Biodynamic practices
  • Rooms or B&B: yes

Story

Located in the Val di Mezzane valley (Eastern Valpolicella) over a hill surrounded by woods, this gorgeous estate is managed with creativity and strong determination by Camilla Rossi Chauvenet and her coworkers. The name of the winery is from the Latin "Maximum Agium", maximum wellness. It has belonged to the family since 1883 as a country house, but it has been completely reset in 2003 as an innovative winery, when Camilla decided to devote herself to the wine world. In 2004 she produced her first 1000 bottles. Nowadays, Massimago also is a relaxing place where you spend your holiday time or having a wine picnic in the vineyards.

People

Massimago is a young wine company run by young people - the average age is less than 35 -but Camilla is the true heart and the brain of the winery. As she says, "we have never been aware of the actual economic potential of our Company but suddenly, starting from a warm country house, Massimago is becoming an artist's studio, a creative workshop, my real workroom for my thoughts. It is also strange to me to call it a Company!". Her goal is "to stay close to the land we own, and promote it in the most eco-friendly way we can. And, of course, sharing our love for the wine! "Innovation and sharing" is my motto, because wine is sharing ideas, projects, dreams, emotions, not only a winemaking style".

 

Vineyards

The organic farming - with some biodynamic practices -  started in 2008: Massimago owns 10 ha. (24.7 acres) of vineyards of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, which average age is 5 to 50. Another grape is the white Garganega. The altitude of the vineyards is 100-350m /a.s.l. The soils are calcareous, calcareous stones and clay.

Winemaking 

All the wines are made exclusively with own grapes, the drying process of the grapes in drying lofts in house, with thermal and humidity control; the aging is in French oak. The bottling is in the winery.  

  • Grape selection table: yes
  • Fluids processed by gravity: no
  • Drying process: in house
  • Type of drying process: only fans and windows
  • Bottling: in the winery

Wines

Massimago produces only 5 wine labels (besides a fine olive oil):

  • Valpolicella DOC
  • Valpolicella Superiore DOC "Profasio"
  • Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
  • "Magò" Rosè Brut 
  • Garganega IGT "Milleduecento"

 

  • Stock of old vintages: yes
  • Selling of old vintages: no

The wines we reviewed

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The wines

  • Valpolicella Superiore DOC "Profasio" 2011
  • Amarone della Valpolicella DOC 2008 

will be at the Terroir Amarone "Rare and Unusual Masterclass: Amarone and Valpolicella Superiore" - Montreux, Switzerland Hotel Suisse Majestic October 30, 2014, hosted by the Digital Wine Communications Conference.