Barone Fini Merlot 2010
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2009-
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Winemaking has consistently been part of the family business for at least six centuries and was officially recorded by the administration of the Republic of Venice on October 24, 1479 when they were given duty free privileges.
Today, a modern approach to winemaking is done with two primary objectives: first, producing quality, approachable wines, and second, keeping the family-owned and operated business market-nimble, involving all of the members of the immediate family.
Barone Fini wines are entirely grown and produced in the Trentino-Alto Adige area vinified in an ultramodern winery located atop the ruins of an ancient Roman winery. We have only produced D.O.C. wines, proving that our wines meet the highest standards from year to year. For generations Barone Fini wines have been produced with the minimal aid of human interference. Our family has always believed that maintaining the natural balance of the plant and making our wine with the least human intervention only makes sense. The Fini family’s strong cultural history has always promoted cultivation techniques that minimize environmental impact. We guarantee we will continue to pursue our natural ways for generations to come.
When asked to name common Italian red grapes, most wine drinkers would probably begin with Sangiovese and continue with various other indigenous varieties. But Merlot (along with several other international varieties) has a significant presence in Italy, with over 60,000 acres planted. Granted, much of this is everyday quaffing wine grown in the northeast by producers taking advantage of the vine’s prolific nature, especially in the Veneto and Friuli.
But through much of the country the wine is grown with more care and used predominantly as a blending agent, thereby adding a certain soft, fleshy appeal to a great many reds. Of course, this practice is often not mentioned on labels. In Tuscany, Merlot appears in a wide variety of blends, as well as sometimes in Chianti Classico. In fact, Italian Merlot reaches its greatest heights in the coastal Tuscan region of Maremma. Here it appears in blends and – spectacularly – in 100% varietal expressions like Masseto, L’Apparita and Messorio. Italian Merlots such as these boast the power, concentration and complexity seen in the finest examples from Bordeaux’s Right Bank.