Sangioveto Toscana IGT 2015 Badia a Coltibuono

Sangioveto wine refers to tradition in its name: in fact Sangioveto is the old synonym used in Tuscany to indicate Sangiovese. The wine is a tribute to a vine variety considered as the most representative among the Tuscan varieties and consequently to the Tuscan tradition. Making a pure Sangiovese in Chianti in 1980 was not at all obvious, on the contrary it was a rebellious gesture to a custom that even in the production specifications of Chianti Classico required blending Sangiovese with other grapes including white berried ones. Since then Badia a Coltibuono produces Sangioveto wine in the best years with Sangiovese grapes from the Argenina vineyard near Monti in Chianti (municipality of Gaiole) and from vineyards of at least 30 years of age surrounded by woods. The soils are clayey and calcareous with abundant presence of stones and are located at about 350 meters above sea level with south-west exposure.

The 2015 vintage in Chianti waz characterized by a very hot summer, preceded by a rainy winter and followed by a mild autumn. It was an excellent vintage for the wine as the grapes benefited from the many hours of sunshine for perfect ripeness without suffering from hydration problems. The cooler days close to the harvest days favored the accumulation of flavor compounds in the skins. The 2015 Sangioveto has an excellent structure, flavor and phenolic maturity and is suited for a very long evolution in the bottle.

The grapes are hand-picked and carefully selected. They ferment with indigenous yeasts in steel vats at a controlled temperature and a maceration of 4-5 weeks, during which punching down is carried out. The wine is transferred to wood where the malolactic fermentation takes place. Then it ages for 12-16 months in French oak barriques of which only 10% are new. Finally, the aging in the bottle continues for at least 6 months.