La Gioia 2019

La Gioia red wine was produced for the first time with the 1982 harvest by the will of Palmina Abbagnano, founder of Riecine with her husband John Dunkley. These were the years in which making a pure Sangiovese in Chianti Classico was seen as a subversive act, because it involved the renunciation of the DOC status. In addition, the wine was born with a modern vinification for those times, that is very low yields and aging in small French barrels. La Gioia, like other iconic Tuscan wines of those years, ranks at the top of quality, it is an outstanding wine, which can compete with the finest wines in the world. La Gioia is a perfect name for a full-bodied and complex wine, rich in fruit and energy; it is a harmonious wine that evolves for a long time. It is produced with grapes from selected vineyards over 450 meters above sea level in the highest hills in the township of Gaiole in Chianti in the province of Siena. The limestone and clay of the soil guarantee great expression to Sangiovese and the advanced age of the plants assures flavor intensity and minerality to the taste. The vines are on average 40 years old and are cultivated with a density of 5000 plants per hectare. The yield of wine from these vineyards is only 20 quintals per hectare.

The grapes are harvested by hand with careful selection of the healthiest bunches and a second selection is made upon arrival in the cellar on a vibrant table. The de-stemmed grapes ferment in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts and the total maceration lasts 15-20 days with pumping over and délastage. At the end the wine ages for 30 months in new and used tonneau.