An iconic wine born 40 years ago, Allegrini’s La Poja confirms its appeal and consolidates its image while remaining true to itself.
The Allegrini family with 2024 began a new course, under the banner of respect for their history and roots with an eye toward ever new adventures. And so, already on the occasion of Vinitaly 2024, Silvia, Francesco, Giovanni e Matteo had first introduced themselves as Allegrini Wines. An umbrella brand for the Allegrini line with its corporate flagships, Allegrini Wines Distributions and Tenuta Merigo, a new production center.
The distribution also, born in 2018, is further consolidated by enriching itself with some of the world’s most prestigious wines. Symbols of the excellence of the Burgundy wine region, from Meursault to Puligny-Montrachet cru Les Folatières, from Chassagne-Montrachet to the iconic Corton-Charlemagne. Just to name a few.
Over the course of the year, and for the next few years to come, the goals of the new generation at the helm will be to consolidate, grow and popularize.
Celebrating La Poja
In this context, the celebratory tour of La Poja, more than a wine a symbol, which turned 40 years old with the 2023 vintage.
A single vineyard, in Corvina Veronese, planted in 1979 by an intuition of Giovanni Allegrini senior. A single plot in a situation decidedly out of the ordinary. On the summit of la Grola, the Poja vineyard overlooks the center of the classic Valpolicella from above, waving to Lake Garda, which at times is so sharp it seems as if it could touch it. Altitude, slope, ventilation, light and heat seem to be the elements that make it possible to grow vines on a hostile terrain from the high concentration in limestone rocks
and seemingly nonexistent organic component. A vine that is indigenous, late-sprouting and late-ripening, generous enough, that goes hand in hand with the typical withering technique as well as lends itself, especially in recent years, to reaching perfect ripeness in the plant as well.
An idea of Franco and Walter Allegrini
Just wanting to make the most of the super powers of the Veronese Corvina, it was Franco and Walter Allegrini who grasped, in the company’s legacy, the potential to make a super wine that knew how to talk about territory even without bearing its name on the label. A real nonsense that of La Poja.
Made in the heart of classic Valpolicella, from indigenous grapes. It is NOT an appellation wine. For years, before the advent of Geographical Indication, it was stateless. Fortune favors the bold, and today, after 40 years (and 37 vintages, skipped ’92, ’02 and ’14) La Poja bears Allegrini ‘s signature around the world. Only 10,000 bottles a year make it a wine for a select few. Ma prendere o lasciare, questo comporta la scelta presa appunto 40 anni fa.
Over the years it has been able to modify and adapt just the right amount to climatic changes and even public taste, remaining, at least in appearance, always true to itself. Is luck and product scarcity enough to turn a simple wine into a rock star? No, I don’t think so. Otherwise this wine world would be full of divas.
An iconic place and wine
Surely La Poja before being a wine is an iconic place. For us, students new to oenology and viticulture, visiting this vineyard was like going on a field trip to Rome for a Liceo Classico student. Inescapable, unique, visionary, unrepeatable stop. These elements are joined by time, or rather endurance and continuity over time.
From such a bold choice, in such a symbolic place could only be born a wine destined and become legend. E come tutte le leggende ogni volta che se ne racconterà la storia, mi piace pensare diventerà sempre più ricca e colorita. Non voglio esagerare, ma sappiate che a sostegno di questa mia tesi La Poja, insieme all’Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Fieramonte, sono on the Place de Bordeaux as the only wines from Verona.
La Poja, as well as Fieramonte will be destined to change over time, I am sure. Children of a single vineyard they will sometimes go along with nature, unpredictable by definition, and sometimes they will be forced to suffer it. However, this should not deter us from remaining fond of both of these labels and continuing to trust them.
In this regard, another 2024 news comes to my support. In an act of transparency and professionalism, the company is making public for the first time its sustainability report, which can be viewed online at the company website allegriniwines.com. A signal in my opinion of confidence in the future, not always rosy, you know, but certainly to be faced head-on.
TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.
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