VINEYARD | Located in Saline, in the municipality of Adro, below Monte Alto di Adro, the highest peak in Franciacorta: "For me it is like the mountain of Reims," smiles Maurizio. The grapes come from a one-hectare vineyard planted in 1989, which sinks into thin moraine soil, vinified in collaboration with the Gatti family of the Franciacorta winery, which today manages the highest percentage of Pinot Nero in Franciacorta with excellent results. "Hillside viticulture, fine soils that give excellent minerality. With the Gatti family we want to replicate the cuttings of this plot in the next two years because the grapes have a particular bunch, very compact, it requires very few treatments, it's giving us enormous satisfaction." In the same area there is also the Third Paradise garden, where the vegetables for the family tavern and the olive oil are grown. Their wine completes the range, taking us back to the taverns of the past where the house wine was sold, in this case authorial.
PERSON | Grazia Omodei and Maurizio Rossi, fourth-generation innkeepers, have an innate sense of hospitality. The Osteria la Villetta, in Palazzolo sull'Oglio, is a place for the soul for those who love the taste of simple, good, exquisitely traditional foods. Upstairs there are rooms to stay at, at the entrance a nice counter welcomes guests, warm wood finishes, vintage objects that give warmth and bring back a sense of history and continuity that has never been lost. Voice recited menu also on the chalkboard, always a smile and a very pleasant literary atmosphere. The ingredients speak lightly and directly in the dishes, that are perfectly cooked: classics such as the legendary trio of the house (no spoilers) or beef in olive oil but equally good are the tongue with pickled vegetables, Vitello Tonnato, vegetable lasagna, gnocchi with butter and sage, Brescia-style tripe, tarts. The fifth generation, Jacopo, has inherited the same passion, competence, and a palate of truly uncommon sensitivity.
WINE | Disgorgement in 2022. The cuvée in question is a Dosaggio Zero RD, distilled in 500 units, while the production of the 'classic' Saline is around 4,500 bottles per year. The aromas are rich and inviting, with a perfectly controlled evolution, between notes of pastries, fruit and spices. The mouth is impressive with the crisp fragrance of small red fruits, a savoury lunge, and gustatory fullness. It is delicious, tasty, salty, with a touch of white pepper and licorice. The mouth is whispered, totally fused.
