{"title":"La Miraja","description":"Nestled within the original castle of Castagnole Monferrato, La Miraja was constructed as an armory in the 11th century, only to be retrofitted as a cellar in the 1400s. In this armory-turned-cellar, Eugenio Gatti, a seventh-generation viticulturist, turns out Barbera, Grignolino, Freisa, and his fabled Ruché. In fact they are the reason why Ruche, an obscure variety that wasat one point on the verge of extinction, has begun to gain the recognition it deserves. They were both instrumental in the creation of the original DOC, Ruché de Monferrato and its eventual elevation to a DOCG. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEuginio’s Ruché comes from the famed Majole vineyard, one of the first sites in Castagnole Monferrato where the grape was planted with the intention of producing single-varietal wines. Majole was replanted in the 1970s, and its Ruché vines rank among the oldest in the world. This has long been considered the top site of Castagnole Monferrato.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBut Ruche isn't the only show at La Miraja. In fact they are aromatic Piedmontese specialists. Both their Fresia and Barbera are benchmarks. Every wine they make is aromatically intoxicating and unlike many of the wines made by their neighbors, the wines of La Miraja are delicious in their youth but a few years in the bottle never hurts.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEuginio’s years of working in wineries and distilleries across Italy, has given him the ability to imbue his wines with a haunting purity and a simple elegance. Nebbiolo may be king in these parts but the wines below are equally as terroir driven as anything from Barberescco or Barolo. They all possess that quality that makes wines from Piedmont so alluring; they are light and fresh yet structured and complex. These delicious bottles are staff favorites and considering their tiny production and quality, an absolute steal.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/sf.flatiron-wines.com\/collections\/la-miraja.oembed","provider":"Flatiron SF","version":"1.0","type":"link"}