Located in Civitella D'Agliano, close to the famed Lake Bolsena, a dormant volcano, lie the 50 hectares of organically farmed vineyards and winery of Sergio Mottura. The vineyards are in the centralized heart of 130 hectares. The land is bordered by the Argilose Hills to the west and flatlands where the Tevere River runs to the east. The land, owned by Sergio's family for over a century, has never seen chemical additives. The winery receives the stamp from the Italian government recognizing their wines as organically grown. The porcupine on the labels is a symbol of the natural balance this biologically organic winery possesses, as the porcupine is only prevalent in areas such as this. The family stopped renting any portion of the land back in 1960 in order to have complete control and supervision over the land to make sure no chemicals were used in farming.

Orvieto, D.O.C.
Procanico 50% Verdello 25% Grechetto 25% Grapes. This wine is born from a strict selection of the best grapes grown throughout thirty-seven hectares of hills west of the Tevere River. The grapes at harvest undergo a soft pressing and then a temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Refined in the bottle for two months before release the wine exhibits a yellow-straw color. The nose of the wine is fruity and strongly typical of the zone. It has a sense of wild mint and aromatic herbs. The palate is dry but wrapped with a light aftertaste that is lightly bitter. Preferably drunk within the first two years after the harvest.

Poggio della Costa, I.G.T.
100% Grechetto Grape. The vineyard covers a total of about seven hectares of land situated near the commune of Civitella D'Agliano. The vineyard lies at around 140 meters and has a blend of clay soil types. The variations of clones planted are from varied years, with the oldest planted in 1970. The grapes undergo a soft pressing and then deliberately fermented slowly at 18 to 20 degrees centigrade over a fifteen to twenty-five day period in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks. The wine is left on its lees in stainless steel until March. The wine is bottled in March. In its youth it offers a floral bouquet with exotic fruits. In the fall it develops all of its personality with aromas and aftertastes and elegance. This wine has a good longevity, which has a full yellow golden color. The nose is of very agreeable aromas both ample and fruity with a perfect balance between the nose and the palate. The palate is sweet and soil of exotic fruits in its first months then becoming more complex of aromatic herbs.

Latour A Civitella, I.G.T.
100% Grechetto grape. The vines for this wine are grown in a portion of the vineyards called Poggio della Costa. This is a four-hectare single vineyard at an altitude of 140 meters. The soil here is of mixed clay types. The vines were planted in 1970 and are of cordone speronato training. The grapes undergo a soft press and then the must is fermented in the barrel. The 228-liter barrique used for this wine come from Chateau Latour in France. The wine remains in the barrel for ten months and then is bottled and bottle aged for another six months prior to sale. The wine has wonderful aging potential, a dull golden color, and the nose on the wine has a beautiful marriage of vanilla notes from its noble barrels and the fruit of the Grechetto. On the palate the wood marries well without prevailing over the particular aroma of the Grechetto. The wine has full body with velvety roundness and a strong personality.

Civitella Rosso, I.G.T.
80% Merlot 20% Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Grapes. Sergio Mottura has been focusing on white wines for many years and the majority of his wines are white. Although some of his red wines have only recently come into the market, don't be fooled. Sergio is no stranger to red varietals. Sergio, with a passion for sparking wine, planted Pinot Noir in his vineyards back in 1962. The vines for his Civitella Rosso are of five years of age, planted on six hectares of land but already are showing great character in their grapes. With Sergio's expertise and passion, this is a wine to watch over the next vintages and enjoy in this fine 2000 vintage.

Magione, I.G.T.
100% Pinot Nero. This wine is made with the noble vines of Pinot Nero grape varieties. The Pinot Nero that makes this wine comes from plantings that Sergio planted in 1962. It conies from a vineyard that also contained Montepulciano and Trebbiano. In 1980, Sergio grafted Pinot Nero onto the remaining other two varieties, making this vineyard exclusively for Pinot Noir. The wine is aged in small oak barrels for one year and then finished in the bottle for six months. The wine has a vibrant ruby red color with a nose of red berry fruits with elegantly balanced wood to the nose. The palate has a light bitterness with mature fruit, nicely spiced and rich tannins.

Nenfro, I.G.T.
60% Merlot and 40% Montepulciano. The vines of this Civitella Rosso vineyard vary in density from 5,000 to 7,000 plants per hectare with Guyot pruning implemented. There is a long maceration time for the Nenfro, with malo-lactic fermentation occurring in steel tanks and maturation in small oak casks for twelve months, followed by another twelve in bottle. The color of this wine is ruby with garnet hues and the perfume emits intense blackberry and current with hints of licorice. The taste is consistently warm and rich in tannins with mineral salts as well. Best suited for roast and stewed meat dishes, this wine has excellent aging potential.

Muffo, I.G.T.
100% Grechetto. The low altitude of the Umbrico and Mecone vineyards, from which the Muffo's grapes hail, exposes the forty year old vines to the early morning autumn mists rising from Lake Alviano. It is this mist that generates the botrytis cinerea, or noble rot, which gives the Muffo its unique flavor characteristics. Harvested in mid-October, the grapes rest on straw mats until pressing some months later. Maturation occurs in oak barrels for twelve months, and undergoes refinement in the bottle for another six. The color is an eye-catching golden hue with amber highlights, and the nose delicate. The flavor of this wine is creamy with undertones of honey and would pair well with cured sheep's cheese or apple tarts. This "mediation wine," because of its sweetness, benefits greatly from aging.

Spumante Brut Millesime, D.O.C.
100% Chardonnay. The grapes of this white sparkling wine are from the San Martino vineyard planted in 1979 on the highest plot of the Mottura estate. Picked at dawn to preserve the grape's acidity and freshness, a soft pressing and maturation in "Tufo" caves for a minimum of five years ensues. After the degorgement, or the removal of sediment, the wine is left six months to clarify before going to market. The color of this dry spumante is a pale gold and with a full, mellow fragrance of yeast. The wine has remarkable perlage, or creamy bubbles, and can cellar for quite some time.