Our vineyards and the Territory
The Vineyards at mt 310 above sea level., have at sight the Trasimeno Lake (Mt 250 a.s.l.), which is a thermal flywheel and generates the optimal microclimate for the prolonged maturations, necessary to synthesize the primary aromas typical of the vine.
The Vineyards have the form of rectangle: from east to west are kissed by the sun from sunrise to sunset, while from north to south they are surrounded by the scents of centenarian woods.
The vineyards were made with a planting distance of 2.30 m. x 0.80. The growing of vines is set by spurred cordon
Ground: Medium dough, silty-sandy, particularly suitable for red grape vines.
Territory: hilly, with sweet lay and lacustrine microclimate.
Historical and cultural notes
Tuscany is home to important red grape wines. Soil structure, sea, lake and river influences benefit this particular area, giving it the most favorable climatic balance for the slow maturation of the vines, which then encourages aroma, anthocyanins, tannins and high quality sugars.
This is a proven fact well known since ancient times.
pre-history: fossils of vine shoots (Vitis Vinifera) dating back 2 million years have been discovered in Montevarchi (Arezzo), near a lignite quarry.
history: A copper table (Tabula Cortonensis) dating back to between the 1st and 2nd century AD was found in 1992 in Cortona, near the city of Arezzo. On the table are engraved in late Etruscan language the terms of an act between two locals for the sale and purchase of a vineyard.
Natural Cultivation
Fertilization occurs naturally through the use of green manure, with alternate rows of annual herbaceous crops: leguminous (favino and vetch), brassicacee (mustard and rava) and grasses (oats and barley).
The green manure increases the quantity of organic substance of the soil and improves the structure of the soil, favoring the vine in the phase of absorption of the nutritive elements necessary for its growth.
The treatments against the main parasitic fungi are performed using the extract of ABIES SIBERICA (Siberian fir) which adhering to the vegetation, eliminates almost all copper.
Agronomic interventions: less quantity + quality. The bunches are thinned out in the vineyard in order to obtain a maximum production of 70% per hectare. Immediately after flowering defoliation is performed around the bunches, to expose them to the air and to the sun: the breeze penetrates and dries them, preventing the development of mold.
An unusual splash of color in our vineyards
We are happy to share with our wine-lovers friends that the clones of Syrah and Merlot – replanted by us – have been classified as Syrah Noir and Merlot Noir by the French Ministry of Agriculture. Among the main characteristics of the Syrah varieties planted in our soils, the limited production capacity and a consistent accumulation of anthocyanins in both grapes and leaves are well known. (Sic!).
Precisely for this reason, this year it was wonderful to note that in autumn the drooping leaves of the Syrah do not turn yellow, but take on a bright red color, giving a brushstroke of unusual color for our hills. We are therefore anxiously awaiting the next year's harvest to see this river of color, that will characterize our wines, poured into the ripe grapes.
The wine from healthy and mature grapes
Double selection
During the ripening period, the grapes are subjected weekly to chemical analysis and tasting to determine the best time for the harvest. During the harvest, a further selection of the bunches is carried out in the vineyard, and only those that are uniformly ripe and healthy are collected. The grapes are then de-stemmed in the cellar and before being crushed they are placed on the sorting table, where expert hands ensure that only perfect berries arrive to fermentation.
The grapes are introduced into the vinification tank after a soft pressing and they are protected from oxidation by the addition of dry ice in solid form. In this way the temperature of the grapes drops quickly. Subsequently in the vinification tank the temperatures are controlled with a cooling system.
This process favors the production of more fruity and balanced wines, regulating the extraction of important substances from the skins and helping fermentation. The duration of the fermentation and maceration of the grapes varies according to the vintage of production, the vine and the type of wine to be produced. After racking, the wines are decanted, cleaned, and micro-oxygenated for a short period, to promote olfactory cleansing and color stabilization. In the period that precedes the maturation in wood barrels, the malolactic fermentation takes place, which makes the wine more pleasant and round, precisely by virtue of natural de-acidification.
Maturation and aging
Usually the wines spend one year of their life in stainless steel before being transferred for 16/18 months in French Oak wood, medium toasting, or in barrels of 10 and 25 hl. The choice of using larger barrels, compared to barriques, stems from the desire to favor the primary aromas of grapes, rather than those of the wood. Finally, the wines are aged for 6 months in bottles laid down.
The D.O.P., aging wines, after completing the maturation process, are put on the market at fourth year, while the ready to be tasted I.G.T. wines, witch are not required to mature in wood, at second year.
