About
Cavedoni call this one the pride of the house and it tops their Modena IGP range. Cooked must and wine vinegar from the family vines work through eight oak casks over eight years. What comes out is dark, glossy and very thick, and a few drops of it go a long way.
Grapes from the Cavedoni vineyards at Castelvetro are cooked down to must and married with wine vinegar. The vinegar then moves through a rotation of eight oak casks, taking eight years to reach the far end. It loses water and gains concentration at every step.
Total acidity is six per cent. Density is the striking thing, far higher than the younger bottlings, enough that it clings and shines. It is worked entirely by hand and sold in a small bottle with a dosing cap and a box.
Seven generations of one family have kept this going since 1860. Treat it as a finishing vinegar. A few drops over aged parmigiano, rare beef, raw shellfish or vanilla ice cream, or off a spoon after dinner.
Producer note
Antica Acetaia Cavedoni works out of Castelvetro di Modena, where seven generations have aged balsamic since 1860. The must and wine vinegar come off their own vineyards and the whole thing is handled by hand.
Flavour