These are the most exciting wineries in Tuscany

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This historic fort and winery is just three kilometers from Montalcino as a bird flight and sits majestically on a hill surrounded by dense forest. After a turbulent history including a prison and monastery, American artist Sandro Chia (76) bought the ramshackle property in 1984 and planted the first grapes. All of Romitorio’s Brunello vineyards are located 250 to 450 meters above sea level to the northwest of the name, providing optimum cooling, especially during the hot growing season.

Together with Filippo Chia (39) I taste a battery of consistently excellent wines, all pressed with great precision and bursting with freshness and energy. Starting with the spicy 2020 Romitòro and the juicy 2015 Brunello di Montalcino, to the heavenly Brunello di Montalcino Filo de Seta Reserva 2016, rated 97 out of 100 in “Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.” What Filippo and his father have unearthed from this previously neglected piece of land is impressive!

Next, I visit the small winery of Stella Di Campalto, about ten minutes’ drive south of Montalcino. On an area of ​​only 7.5 hectares, only biodynamic studies are carried out, which is extremely rare in the region. If fermentation doesn’t get off to a good start, wines are sometimes sung with Gregorian chants. The winery is also making its own way when it comes to selling wine: Wines are only released when they’re ready to drink.

While many other wineries that have also raided a Rosso di Montalcino in addition to the Brunello di Montalcino show little ambition for the latter in terms of quality, Stella di Campalto has significantly raised the qualitative benchmark for the entire region with these wines in particular. Its wines are unusually elegant by Tuscan standards and have a very unique character. It is exported to 52 countries, with a few bottles reaching Switzerland.

Admittedly, I used to find Tignanello wines relatively fine, but somehow I never found them particularly interesting. Made primarily from the Sangiovese grape variety, the quality of Super-Tuscan has long stabilized at a high level until recent vintages made another leap in quality. Today, outstanding wines are bottled at Tenuta Tignanello that are not only stunningly beautiful, but also complex and immensely interesting.

The slightly more defensive use of new oak and the now up to 40 percent Hungarian oak ratio have contributed significantly to this leap in quality, giving the wine a much more elegant woodsy style. Both 2019 Tignanello and 2019 Solaia, whose vineyards are directly adjacent to each other, are impressive and elegant ambassadors of the Marchese Antinori owner, whose 2020 Chianti Classico also impressed at its tasting.

Vineyards in the best locations, the use of special oak barrels made of Austrian oak and the advice of star wine expert Stéphane Derenoncourt have contributed to the excellent reputation of this relatively young winery. About 18.5 hectares of wine are currently grown and another 4.5 hectares have recently been purchased. Two grape varieties Sangiovese and Merlot play the main role in Bertinga.

All of the 2016 vintage wines are polished and extremely elegant. The Merlot Volta di Bertinga variety received a score of 97 out of 100 from wine critic James Suckling and was named the best Italian Merlot of the year in the Gambero Rosso wine guide. However, my favorite is the Sangiovese Punta di Adine variety, which is equipped with delicate aromas of blood orange, red cherry and iodine, as well as polished tannins and backed by a firm acidity that gives the wine a wonderful freshness.

As the last stop of my two-day Tuscany tour, I visit Fattoria Fèlsina, located at the southernmost tip of the Classico region. Besides the vineyard, grain is also grown and hundreds of olive trees are cultivated. Before tasting the wines, I visit the catacombs-like cellar where many different types of barrels are lined up. In addition to the classic red wine, Vin Santo, a traditionally produced sparkling wine and Tuscan dessert wine specialty, is also bottled.

However, Fèlsina is famous above all for its distinctive Chianti wines, with an earthy, spicy style, paired with wonderful freshness and great elegance. My personal favorite is Riserva Rancia, the only vineyard with decades of bottle aging. Chardonnay I Sistri is also excellent and is one of the most sought after white wines in Tuscany.

Source : Blick

Malan

I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.