Du Cropio Damis Ciro Rosso Riserva 2015
The ‘Damis’ Riserva is far and away the most profound wine to emerge from the Du Cropio estate and likely one of the true benchmarks of the Cirò region. Produced exclusively from the Gaglioppo grape planted to steep hillside vineyards above and around the village of Cirò in the hills above the sea, Damis is drawn from a fastidious selection of the best grapes from the harvest. In the cellar, Ippolito takes his time, allowing the juice to macerate on the grape skins for several weeks, feeling that this helps polymerize Gaglioppo’s often brawny tannin profile, resulting in a fruitier wine with less bitterness. Primary fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, with the wine spending an extended stint in large oak botte prior to bottling. Ripe cherry fruit, sweet and dusty notes of earth, with a distinctly Mediterranean herbaceousness (thyme, sage, rosemary) throughout. The palate skews earthier than the nose, though still underpinned by bright cherry and plum. After 8 years of development, tannins are now well-integrated with a streaky core of acidity lending apt reflection of the wine’s age. The finish is long and kaleidoscopic, with a distinctive sour cherry note that seems to speak of a love child between Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.
Giuseppe Ippolito farms his family estate, a property on Calabria’s southeastern coast known as Du Cropio, or ‘doctors of agronomy,’ a moniker that nods to the many generations of growers and farmers in the Ippolito family that came before him. The ‘secret’ to Giuseppe’s ability to coax the best out of his terroir and into a bottle is all in the vineyards: located in the inner hills of Calabria’s famed Cirò DOC, a few miles from the coast, here, both elevation and oceanic influence allow cool nights to mitigate southern Italy’s long, hot days. Even so, picking at exactly the right time, during peak balance between sugars and acidity and tannin, is crucial. A week too early and Gaglioppo emerges thin and austere, a week too late and the wines quickly become overly ripe, jammy and lacking in structure or tension; this is why Giuseppe spends countless hours in the vineyards, and the results are revelatory. Comparing these wines to Nerello Mascalese on Etna or Nebbiolo in Barolo is an easy way to bridge the stylistic gap to this lesser known region, though regardless, Ippolito’s wines truly unique expressions of this sunsoaked, southerly terroir and the Gaglioppo grape that made the short journey here from Greece over 3000 years ago.
Shipping Policy
Due to the restrictions of many state laws, we only ship wine to those states where direct shipment from a retailer is permitted by law; currently we ship to AK, CA, DC, ID, LA, MO, NE, NV, NH, NM, ND, OR, VA, WV and WY. This list is subject to change without notice. In addition, each state imposes limitations on the amount of wine any particular resident may receive by direct shipment. To ensure that you are able to order wine for direct shipment from our website, please consult the specific state requirements for your state.
Please note that all orders must be placed by persons who are at least 21 years old, and that age verification will be required upon receipt of your wine. No wine will be delivered to obviously intoxicated persons and any person unable to provide age verification will forfeit their right to receive the shipment until identification is produced. In such circumstances, the order may either be held in storage at a local depot of the shipping company until appropriate identification is produced, or shipped back to the winery. All associated costs will be the responsibility of and be charged to the customer.
Title to, and ownership of, all wine passes from Biondivino to the purchaser in the State of California and the purchaser takes all responsibility for shipping it from California to his/her home state. By arranging for transportation of the wine, Biondivino is providing a service to, and acting on behalf of the purchaser. By utilizing this service from Biondivino, purchaser is representing that he/she is acting in compliance with his/her local and state laws regarding the purchase, transportation and delivery of wine. The purchaser represents that he/she has obtained any required permission, paid any required fees, is working through properly licensed intermediaries where required, is legally entitled to take possession of wine and is legally entitled to take quantities ordered.
You will be charged the applicable sales tax, if any, assessed by your state for any shipment that Biondivino makes; otherwise California sales tax will be assessed on the sale. Shipping and handling costs are not included in the cost and will appear in the shopping cart before you complete your transaction. The carrier and service speed may vary by state and time of year, and Biondivino cannot take responsibility for the condition of any wine shipped by Ground.
Some of our products are sold on a "pre-arrival" or "futures" basis. These products are explicitly indicated as "pre-arrivals" or "futures" on our Website and newsletter. Biondivino will notify you by email when your "pre-arrivals" or "futures" have arrived and are ready to be shipped. You will be given the opportunity to coordinate the proper shipping address and method (we won't automatically ship out pre-arrival wines when they arrive).
Shipping Policy
Due to the restrictions of many state laws, we only ship wine to those states where direct shipment from a retailer is permitted by law; currently we ship to AK, CA, DC, ID, LA, MO, NE, NV, NH, NM, ND, OR, VA, WV and WY. This list is subject to change without notice. In addition, each state imposes limitations on the amount of wine any particular resident may receive by direct shipment. To ensure that you are able to order wine for direct shipment from our website, please consult the specific state requirements for your state.
Please note that all orders must be placed by persons who are at least 21 years old, and that age verification will be required upon receipt of your wine. No wine will be delivered to obviously intoxicated persons and any person unable to provide age verification will forfeit their right to receive the shipment until identification is produced. In such circumstances, the order may either be held in storage at a local depot of the shipping company until appropriate identification is produced, or shipped back to the winery. All associated costs will be the responsibility of and be charged to the customer.
Title to, and ownership of, all wine passes from Biondivino to the purchaser in the State of California and the purchaser takes all responsibility for shipping it from California to his/her home state. By arranging for transportation of the wine, Biondivino is providing a service to, and acting on behalf of the purchaser. By utilizing this service from Biondivino, purchaser is representing that he/she is acting in compliance with his/her local and state laws regarding the purchase, transportation and delivery of wine. The purchaser represents that he/she has obtained any required permission, paid any required fees, is working through properly licensed intermediaries where required, is legally entitled to take possession of wine and is legally entitled to take quantities ordered.
You will be charged the applicable sales tax, if any, assessed by your state for any shipment that Biondivino makes; otherwise California sales tax will be assessed on the sale. Shipping and handling costs are not included in the cost and will appear in the shopping cart before you complete your transaction. The carrier and service speed may vary by state and time of year, and Biondivino cannot take responsibility for the condition of any wine shipped by Ground.
Some of our products are sold on a "pre-arrival" or "futures" basis. These products are explicitly indicated as "pre-arrivals" or "futures" on our Website and newsletter. Biondivino will notify you by email when your "pre-arrivals" or "futures" have arrived and are ready to be shipped. You will be given the opportunity to coordinate the proper shipping address and method (we won't automatically ship out pre-arrival wines when they arrive).