Cantina della Stazione & Fletcher Wines

Cantina della Stazione

For the Wines

I consider myself lucky to be making wines in the Langhe and even luckier that I have no legacy to follow. It's led to a freedom to play and deconstruct tradition, all in an attempt to start afresh without any boundaries. I'm on a constant search for great vineyards, and always trying to make wines that give a sense of passion and place. Not all of them are single vineyards, because I think great things can come from careful crafting. Not all the wines will be produced each year either, as nature dictates most of what I do.
I use everything I've learnt from my experiences of making wine and working in the vineyards around the world, pulling out the methodology that I believe in and then injecting a few twists and turns.......Hopefully it all works for you!
For those that need to know.....
I use 100% spontaneous fermentation but with a 'pied de cuve' method. I use old wood in the form of Barriques and Botte Grande. Sometimes I have to buy new wood to get old wood and this gets used on the X-blend and the Chardonnay. I never, ever, filter the wines or use fining agents!

In the Vineyards

50% of the vineyards I work with are certified organic and the other half is under conversion. As a day job I work for one of the biggest Biodynamic producers in Barolo and Barbaresco. I believe 100% in these techniques for my own grape production and strive for better health and lower impact for the vines and their surroundings. Not wanting to contribute to an ever increasing mono-culture in the Langhe, I offset the land used for my grape production with ownership of the equivalent area in Forest, swamp and grasslands rich in biodiversity.

2021 Cantina della Stazione

2021 Cantina della Stazione Dolcetto D'Alba DOC

Denomination: Dolcetto d’Alba D.O.C.
Comunes: Alba
Variety: 100% Dolcetto
Area: 1.3Ha
First year of production: 2021
Annual production: 2,000 bottles

Coming from our own vineyard in the zone called by the locals ‘Bricco Capre’, this Dolcetto is produced from vines that are on average 60 years old. The production is under 50% of what it could do, but the quality it produces is outstanding. In this wine, we are searching for bright, fresh aromatics typical of dolcetto, medium body with a gentle, chalky tannin finish.

Winemaking

As with all my wines, the wine is made with gentle extraction and focus on the aromatics in preference to colour and tannin. Open fermented with wild yeast, and aged for 8 months in 10 year old barriques. The bottling is done without fining or filtration.

2021 Cantina della Stazione Langhe Favorita DOC

Denomination: Langhe Favorita D.O.C.
Comunes: Alba
Variety: 100% Favorita
Area: 1Ha
First year of production: 2021
Annual production: 2,000 bottles

Coming from our own vineyard in the zone of Alba, this Favorita is produced from vines that are 60 years old. Sadly, Favorita is becoming rarer in the Langhe but we believe it has the possibility to produce great wine. We aim to always pick twice once, for acidity and the second for fruit complexity.

Winemaking

The grapes are whole bunch pressed and the juice is settled naturally (without added enzymes or sulphur dioxide) for a period of 4 hours. It is then racked to French barriques of which all are old so as not to give wood flavour. Alcoholic fermentation is completed in barrel with no added yeast. No Malic fermentation. The wine will stay in barrique on fermentation lees for 8 months without battonage and racked only when it is time for bottling. The bottling is done without fining or filtration.

2021 Cantina della Stazione Barbera D'Alba DOC

Denomination: Dolcetto d’Alba D.O.C.
Comunes: Alba
Variety: 100% Barbera
Area: 1.3Ha
First year of production: 2021
Annual production: 2,000 bottles

As with the Dolcetto and Favorita under the ‘Cantina della Stazione’ label this Barbera is derived from our own vineyard in the zone called by the locals ‘Bricco Capre’ which is within the Alba DOC. An average age of 60 years and extremely low cropping, the fruit always perfectly formed with crunchy skins and amazing fruit intensity.

Winemaking

This is the one wine we play with whole bunch fruit during fermentation. We use it to achieve a style of Barbera that is extremely elegant and lifted in the aromatics and layered with complexity on the palate. Rather than soft and fruit driven, it becomes more structured and defined. As with all my wines, the wine is made with gentle extraction and focus on the aromatics in preference to colour and tannin. Open fermented with wild yeast, and aged for 8 months in 10 year old barriques. The bottling is done without fining or filtration.

2021 Fletcher Wines

2021 Fletcher Arcato

Part of the organic series
Denomination: Vino Bianco
Comunes: Alba
Variety: 75% Arneis, 25% Moscato
Area: 0.40ha
First year of production: 2015
Annual production: 600 bottles

Winemaking: The Moscato grapes used for the blend are left as whole bunches and put in the open fermenters first. Then the Arneis is destemmed and crushed on top of the Moscato already in the fermenter. Again the fermentation is done without the addition of yeast and is left to ferment and macerate on skins for about 3-4 weeks before being pressed and allowed to finish fermentation in old barrels. Bottling is done about 8 months later and happens directly from the barrel and hence, is done without fining or filtration and with very minimal sulphites added.

2021 Fletcher Langhe DOC Chardonnay

‘C’ series
Denomination: Langhe Chardonnay D.O.C.
Comune: Barbaresco
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
First year of production: 2015
Annual production: 2,000 bottles

With close proximity to France and several times occupied by the French, Piedmont has always been interested in Chardonnay. There are many vineyards around the Langhe and this one comes from the north face of Cars Cru in Barbaresco.

Winemaking: The grapes are whole bunch pressed and the juice is settled naturally (without added enzymes or sulfur dioxide) for a period of 4 hours. It is then racked to French barriques of which 30% is new and the rest old. Alcoholic fermentation is completed in barrel with no added yeast. Dependant on the taste, the year and the acidity, the wine may be allowed to go through Malic fermentation. The wine will stay in barrique on fermentation lees for 8 months without battonage and racked only when it is time for bottling. The bottling is done without fining or filtration.

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