Langhe DOC Bianco “Il Fiore”

Braida produces Il Fiore at Tenuta Serra dei Fiori in Trezzo Tinella, in the Cuneo hills of the Langhe at around 400 metres above sea level with southerly exposure. The wine is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Nascetta, a semi-aromatic native Piedmontese variety with notable aging potential. Vineyard management includes natural cover crop and minimal organic fertilisation at a planting density of 4,100 vines per hectare. Whole-bunch soft pressing is followed by settling and alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks at 19 to 22 degrees Celsius, then further maturation in steel for approximately four months before bottling. The result is a straw-yellow wine that balances the international structure of Chardonnay with the floral and mineral qualities native to Nascetta. The wine shows well on release but also rewards a couple of years of bottle ageing, during which additional complexity develops.