Lazio Through an Australian Lens: La Gazzetta from Trish Nelson

La Gazzetta from Trish Nelson

La Gazzetta Producer Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	La Gazzetta
Region	Lazio
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Trish Nelson
Size	7.8 Hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Volcanic
Grapes grown	Procanico, Ansonica, Malvasia, Moscato, Merlot
Fun facts	Finally, we import wine made by an Australian!

Finally, we import wine made by an Australian!

Name of Estate	La Gazzetta
Region	Lazio
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Trish Nelson
Size	7.8 Hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Volcanic
Grapes grown	Procanico, Ansonica, Malvasia, Moscato, Merlot
Fun facts	Finally, we import wine made by an Australian!

producer profile 06.10.2020

La Gazzetta Producer Profile

Trish Nelson was born in Australia but, following her parents' work as professors, grew up in various parts of Asia. By her early 20’s she was living in Hong Kong, travelling the world as a journalist for an architecture/design magazine. The work was interesting, but Trish quickly realized she was drawn to a slower pace of life. After much reflection, she decided to get a degree in sustainable <glossary term="Agriculture" title="78">agriculture</glossary>. A love affair with food and wine drove her to live and travel extensively in Italy and, during this period, she happened to meet Daniela and Antonio De Gruttola from Cantina Giardino. Giardino was Trish’s introduction to <glossary term="Natural WIne" title="708">natural wine</glossary>, exposing her to a network of like-minded, forward thinking growers throughout Italy; scrapping her original plan for a degree, she ended up working there for two years. Through Giardino, she later met Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clémentine Bouveron of Le Coste, working there for a year at the same time as Joy Kull, another anglophone foreigner who now makes wine around the <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Bolsena Lake</glossary> under the La Villana label.  During her time at Le Coste Trish met Jacopo Battista, an agronomist who’d purchased land in <glossary term="Orvieto" title="1473">Orvieto</glossary> a few years prior. Trish and Jacopo bonded over their mutual passion for <glossary term="Biodiversity" title="1162">biodiversity</glossary>, and in due time she decided to join him in <glossary term="Umbria" title="1058">Umbria</glossary> to start a mutual project called Ajola. The original idea was for Ajola to be truly <glossary term="Polyculture" title="815">poly-cultural</glossary>, with a particular focus on <glossary term="Agriculture" title="78">agricultural</glossary> experimentation. While unintended, wine became the primary focus, always through an experimental lens. For example: two <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées</glossary> might come from the same <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plot</glossary> cultivated differently and/or picked a few weeks apart, with or without <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary>. It made for a lot of <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées </glossary>and was a bit hard to follow, but the wines quickly found a following in Italy and beyond.  In 2018, Trish decided to start her own solo project, letting Jacopo continue Ajola. They remain great friends, still share vineyards, equipment and even a <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary> (more on that later!) To symbolize her new project being a direct extension of Ajola, Trish decided her own labels for La Gazzetta would be quasi-identical. This continues to cause confusion amongst geeky importers and savvy consumers already familiar with Ajola. No biggie... Relocating from <glossary term="Orvieto" title="1473">Orvieto</glossary> to <glossary term="Lazio" title="585">Lazio</glossary>,  Trish now lives in a quaint home in Località Gazzetta high in the wooded hills above the village of Bolsena, farming grapes from three different distinct sites. Starting with a couple of <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of scattered vineyards around the <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Bolsena Lake</glossary>, some Ajola vines in <glossary term="Orvieto" title="1473">Orvieto</glossary> and another <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> an hour further into <glossary term="Umbria" title="1058">Umbria</glossary>, Trish <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> her first <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> in 2018, about 4000 bottles, in the Ajola <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>. Her next couple of <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintages</glossary> were produced in a very modest “winery”, a room cut into a hillside with a couple <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> and a handful of <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary> of varying sizes (when we visited, it was occasionally tricky to have us all in the space at one time). In 2020, she was able to acquire a large, modern <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> in Bolsena with her partner Piero, permitting her to <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinify</glossary> the entirety of her production for the first time in 2021.  As of this writing, Trish farms 7.8 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>. Five of those are in immediate proximity to the <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Bolsena Lake</glossary>, including an incredibly rare four <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> block all in one place. The remaining <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> is more traditional to the area in the sense that it consists of numerous scattered, small <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary> of <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary>. The vines here benefit from the special <glossary term="Microclimate" title="656">microclimate</glossary> of this area. <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Lake Bolsena</glossary> is one of Europe’s largest volcanic lakes and the combination of the <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> soil and the unique wind patterns caused by the heating and cooling of this large body of water lends itself to the cultivation of grapes. These vines are planted predominantly with white grapes on <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sandy</glossary>, <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> soil.  Then are two <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> in <glossary term="Lazio" title="585">Lazio</glossary> but closer to <glossary term="Orvieto" title="1473">Orvieto</glossary>. Trish co-farms this with Ajola and her partner Piero. These produce the “Bianco Piero” and “Rosso Piero” but otherwise are mostly for Ajola wines. The soils here are also <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> but from a much older geological formation than the <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Bolsena</glossary> <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary>. A wine called “Rosso Commune” comes from this sector, a three-way collaboration between La Gazzetta, Ajola and another producer called Malauva.  Finally, Trilli is a vineyard an hour from <glossary term="Orvieto" title="1473">Orvieto</glossary>, deeper into <glossary term="Umbria" title="1058">Umbria</glossary>. All the “Trilli” wines come from this vineyard but also the “Gazzetta Rosso” and “Rosso Castagno”. It totals four <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>, is more <glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary> heavy and much warmer than the <glossary term="Lazio" title="585">Lazio</glossary> <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary>. Trilli is mostly farmed by Ajola and Malauva, with the majority of the grapes going into their respective productions. Trish works <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organically</glossary> in the vines including using teas and composts made from indigenous plants. Her use of teas is specifically her attempt to cut back on using <glossary term="Copper" title="333">copper</glossary>-<glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">sulfate</glossary> (based on the very valid concern of heavy metals in the soil) despite the fact that it’s allowed in <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary>. She also has recently began incorporating <glossary term="Cover Crop" title="1255">cover-crops</glossary> in her vines.  In the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, inspiration from Cantina Giardino’s free-form, improvised and experimental approach to winemaking is evident. Many wines are tied to a geographic location, for example the  “Trilli Bianco” or the “Fioraldo”, the latter named after a small <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> sold to Trish by an old farmer of the same name. Then there is the "G05", named after her favorite tank in 2018 and produced every year with different grapes/<glossary term="Blend" title="168">blends</glossary>/ <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerations</glossary>. And of course the wines named after friends: Susanna, Piero… Some have incredibly sober labels with just the name of the wine, others dote beautiful art drawn by Trish’s sister… In all cases, the <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinifications</glossary> and <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blends</glossary> can vary drastically <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> to <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>. In other words, it’s very hard to follow! Three things we DO know: Trish is particularly fond of using <glossary term="Chestnut Wood" title="1206">chestnut</glossary> <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> with her <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerated</glossary> white wines, <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> is never added and we trust her instincts to make the best wines she can each  <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>. Who cares if we don't know the grapes, <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> or any <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinification</glossary> details!

producer profile 06.10.2020

La Gazzetta Producer Profile