VARIETAL/VINEYARD: Our grapes come from a small section within our steep terraced hillside Sangiovese vineyard planted in 1992. This section of the vineyard is east-facing, meaning it receives primarily morning sunlight and, as such, produces our most concentrated lot of Sangiovese wine. It is Sangiovese Grosso, which is the clone used for making Brunello di Montalcino—arguably the world’s most powerful and complex example of this native Tuscan varietal. We have been farming this vineyard without the use of herbicides and pesticides, according to the lunar cycle, since 2007.
VINTAGE/HARVEST: 2008 turned out to be a very good but challenging vintage. The spring frost that damaged a portion of our Sangiovese vineyard did not affect our west hillside section used for this wine. Despite a few heat spikes, the ’08 growing season was moderate to cool. However, a late August heat pushed our Sangiovese to ripeness. In early September, which is only slightly earlier than normal. We always thin this vineyard to one cluster per shoot in order to make a wine with dark fruit flavors, big tannins and vibrant acidity.
VINIFICATION: Our Sangiovese is de-stemmed, lightly crushed and kept below 60 degrees for several days prior to allowing fermentation to begin spontaneously with indigenous yeast. We punch down or pump over the must twice daily during fermentation. To preserve Sangiovese’s delicate fruity quality, we try to handle it as little as possible while it ages in 35% new French oak barrels for 13 months.
STYLE: This 2008 Sangiovese is a dark, medium to full-bodied wine. This 2008 has a purity of fruit, complexity and bright acidity that screams Sangiovese. While our Sangiovese tends to improve for 5-6 years after the vintage, this 2008 is already showing well. In other words, you have the green light to drink over the next couple of years.
Mick
Harvested: 9/7/08
Blend: 100% Sangiovese
Total acidity: 0.54g/100ml
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.73
Bottled: 9/6/09
Aging: 12 months in French Oak, 35% new
Cases Produced: 244