In Italy, Le Coste di Gradoli (otherwise known as just Le Coste) is easily the most-coveted, if somewhat controversial, Italian natural wine icon—-achieving a well-deserved cult status among natural wine makers and enthusiasts you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else! (Especially for their signature red: the Vino Rosso Biologico.) 

Since 2004, Italian Gianmarco Antonuzi and Lyonnais Clementine Bouveron have been crafting Le Coste’s iconic natural wines from the charming village of Gradoli in the former’s native Lazio. Before Le Coste, both Antonuzi and Bouveron were amassing experience in the vineyards of France. In fact: the couple met working for Bruno Schueller in Alsace!

Since starting and operating Le Coste, the husband and wife team have built a winery unlike any other over their 14 hectares of rich volcanic soils, and their practice always begins with their ancient, native Italian varieties they care for with only the most natural and biodynamic ethos. Antonuzzi has developed something of a reputation for his intensity and lack of compromise for quality among the community—and it is this very dedication that partly defines the magic in every bottle that comes out of Le Coste.

How Le Coste di Gradoli became an Italian natural wine icon

Le Coste is a name that stands strongly on its own two feet, and this is due to the sheer amount of experience that Antonuzi and Bouveron amassed together and separately working for legendary French vignerons including Dard et Ribo, Dominique Hauvette, Philippe Pacalet, Didier Barral, and Bruno Schueller. Their time spent under the mentorship of these greats shaped their own practice when the couple decided to start Le Coste in the untapped potential of Lazio, Italy: Antonuzi’s home province.

The couple heard news of an abandoned vineyard and olive farmland for sale in beautiful Gradoli, and immediately grabbed it. Le Coste started with only 3-4 grapevines in their initial 3 hectares of land—but today, it stands at 14 hectares with over 10,000 vines per hectare! Antonuzi is the winery’s primary cellar master, while Bouveron takes the lead caring for the land with biodynamic practices—a beautiful synergy with many crossovers creating wines out of the estate’s original set of ancient local varieties. 

While its vineyards hold a stunning rustic charm, there is a strictness to their cellaring—one that some visitors have described to be more akin to how a Burgundy house would be run instead, with Antonuzi’s meticulous staging for elevage.

Every year, Le Coste produces a dizzying number of styles and varieties, all of which express the rustic character of their Italian grapes and terroir while also bearing the refinement of French technique. They are a pure expression of grape, land, and style—-and as it’s scaled up, Le Coste has grown in both scope and quality. Every year presents new characters and expressions for Le Coste—and as many will note, these are natural wines that are truly a joy to drink.

Defining the style and terroir of Le Coste di Gradoli

Located near the village of Gradoli in Northern Lazio, Le Coste is a scenic patchwork of vineyards on hills at high elevation, sloping down towards Lake Bolsena: it’s the recipient of excellently mild weather cooled by the lake. Volcanic soil, porous and rich in iron and minerals, nurtures the multitude of vines—all of these are grown and raised biodynamically on the estate alongside olive groves (from which they make their own olio), chestnut trees, and oak trees interspersed among them.

Le Coste’s vineyards have grown to become highly dense at over 10,000 vines per hectare, and these vines are a combination of old and young, selection massale and ungrafted. Most unique are their ancient indigenous grapes rarely seen outside of Italy, such as Greghetto (a local version of Sangiovese), Aleatico, Roscetto, Procanico, Canniaolo, and Colorino—but more recently, Antonuzi and Bouveron have planted beloved French varietals like Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.

Everything from growing and pruning to harvesting is done by hand and with careful attention to each vine. And from there, fermentation occurs spontaneously with wild yeasts, and nothing is added at any stage—with the exception of a minimal amount of sulfites for very specific bottles.

Le Coste's bottles famously change every year, with Antonuzi and Bouveron rarely sticking to the same recipe as they experiment with vinification. That said, production remains on the smaller scale to allow the couple to look over each bottle more carefully. What you get in your glass is a surprise: but usually, you end up with a wine that is a work of art in itself!

Must-try wines by Le Coste di Gradoli 

Vino Rosso Biologico 2019

With lots of juiciness and character on the palate, there is a good reason Le Coste’s Rosso Biologico is their signature red. The volcanic soils where this red blend’s organically grown Sangiovese, Canniaolo, and Coloron are grown give it a distinctly earthy personality on the palate. In its vibrant, juicy palate of ripe cherries and raspberries, expect savory notes of fresh mushrooms. Spontaneously fermented and aged in chestnut barrels, this wine is righteous and pushy just like your Italian waitress after you tried to order a cappuccino after lunch. 

Best with: Lasagna, pasta arrabiata, aged cheeses, steaks

Pizzicante Rosso 2018

Straddling the line between a red and a true rosé, this is one bottle from Le Coste's famously gluggable Litrozzo line of cuvées. Made with Greghetto (Lazio’s local version of Sangiovese) and Merlot, Pizzicante sports some light tannins and prickly, snappy texture from one week of maceration before aging in stainless steel. A crowd-pleaser with its palate of red berries (think strawberries and pomegranate) and hibiscus, this is best enjoyed with good friends—or perhaps with a Netflix marathon and your finest PJs.

Best with: Pepperoni pizza, pork barbecu, callos, summer salads

Vino Rosato Biologico 2019

Grown only in central Italy, Aleatico is the star of this rosé with refinement and joie de vivre—it’s right at home seaside, be it at a picnic, a swanky resort, or simply a beach date. The grapes see skin contact for only a couple of hours, and the juice is meticulously aged in wooden barrels for a year and aged again for another six months in the bottle. This is as tropical as rosé gets, with lots of green strawberries and fresh lychee on the first sip, with notes of hibiscus and wet stones when you come back. Very food-friendly.

Best with: Kesong puti, cheese pizza, fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, pancit palabok

Where to buy Le Coste natural wines in Metro Manila

Le Coste winery only produces a certain number of bottles per year, and in Manila, you can have a taste of them when you buy natural wine at (Super)Natural. We offer bottles of their signature Vino Rosso Biologico, as well as others like the Vino Rosato Biologico and their Litrozzo Pizzicante. For more Italian natural wines, we also carry bottles by highly-esteemed makers like Radikon and Dario Princic. Place your order at (Super)Natural before 2 PM on weekdays and enjoy same-day delivery.