2012 Conte Loredan Gasparini Venegazzu Capo di Stato Colli Trevigiani IGT, Veneto, Italy

Cabernet Sauvignon 70% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc 10% Malbec 5%.

DOC MONTELLO VENEGAZZÙ SUPERIORE

Created by Count Loredan as a “Venegazzù Superiore” in the “Riserva della Casa”, this wine was often used for special occasions in the city of Venice. Indeed, during the 1960s, this wine numbered many heads of state among its admirers – a fact which, of course, has led to the name it bears: ‘Head of State’. Our Capo di Stato starts life in a selection of grapes, in parti- cular those from an old vineyard planted in 1946 and known fondly as “the 100 Plants”. This vineyard is located in Venegazzù (40km north of Venice in the province of Treviso), where the Montello terroir confers its truly unique character. The grape varieties are: Cabernet Sauvi- gnon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec from old clones. The wine is always original, pro- found, with a warm colour, intense boquet and rich aromas of soft fruits and spices. Through its body and fabric and its sweet tannins, it persuades the palate of an infinite silkiness. This wine has, then, a strong personality: never flattened, never fitting into the humdrum varia- tions of fruit combed with oak: it will always express itself with aromatic originality, bringing a fighting spirit to its tasting.