Mother Earth: everything that comes from her brims with life. It is given to us as a precious gift. She is generous. We owe her respect. She attracts us through the force of gravity, which regulates the dynamics of all living beings.
Mother Earth is expecting: when he was a little boy, Mario Donnabella would get very curious when he heard that a woman was “expecting”. She protects, nourishes, and generates, also on his plot of land, in his vineyards: soon her waters will break, and drops of life coming out of nowhere will spill out. And her two children will be born: two wines, Buxento red and Kamaratòn white.
In the countryside, Mario Donnabella interferes with Mother Earth’s work as little as possible. All around, the mountains, the changing form of the terrain giving shape to rolling hills, the fauna and flora, and the temperature variation between day and night form an ideal micro-climate for his life and vines. Along with the natural moisture generated by small man-made reservoirs, the sea breeze and the soil, rich in humus, sandstone, clay and limestone.
He has four vineyards: Tempa d’Elia and Casino, which are already bearing fruits, whilst Facenna and Terra Rossa will need some more years of patience and dedication.
He picks Aglianicone, Aglianico, Fiano, Santa Sofia e Mangiaguerra by hand, with great care. In a little cellar, positioned in the basement of an old, simple farmhouse named the Cardinal’s Farmhouse, he collects the grapes and prepares them ready to go out in the world. Mario was born in this farmhouse, and used to live here with his family. Bringing his wines into the world and ageing them is and will not be easy. He strives to give them the best, but it is up to them to find their own way, each following their unique personality and inclinations.
Buxento red wine takes its name from the town of Buxentum, which is the name that the Romans gave to the Greek town of Pixunte, today’s Policastro, situated at the mouth of the Bussento river, which following its natural course cuts through the land of Cilento. It is a blend of Aglianicone (90%) and Aglianico (10%).Wiser and more reflective, it feels the responsibility of being the family’s firstborn. After fermentation in steel vats, it awaits and matures patiently for two years in sealed clay jars. Kamaratòn white wine embraces the love between Fiano (50%) and Santa Sofia (50%), and also between Kamaratòn, a beautiful maiden, and Palinurus, Aeneas’s helmsman. According to a local legend, Palinurus fell in love with Kamaratòn, who did not return his love. He desperately followed her to the bottom of the sea, where he died. Venus, who was outraged by Kamaratòn’s cruelty, turned her into a rock, which then lent its name to the hamlet of Camerota, situated near the village of Palinuro. In this way, Kamaratòn and Palinurus will stay close together forever.
Buxento and Kamaratòn embrace all the mystery of Mother Earth in Cilento: sun, fresh water, sea, earth and the stars.
The wine cellar. Il Casale del Cardinale (The Cardinal’s Farmhouse). The rooms where I was born and raised. And where my wines are created and aged.