Gagliole Colli della Toscana Centrale 2008

Gagliole is a small gem that captures all of Tuscany’s beauty. Judiciously cultivated and groomed, small tracts of land created elegant geometric figures on either side of the impenetrable hills. Here, at 1,640 feet above sea level, vineyards of Sangiovese mature under the rays of the sun thanks to splendid exposure to the south-southwest. The age of the vines (3-30 years) is a ­testament to the painstaking process of reintegration that has taken place here.

Monika and Thomas Bar, a noted gallery manager and a Swiss lawyer and banker, respectively, decided to settle in Gagliole in order to return to Tuscany where they met. Over the years, their love of good wine became a true passion that has blossomed into the production of native and international varietals that express the character of their microclimate.

The yellow-brownish color of the soil up close becomes the distinct shades of argillaceous loam: it is the argillite that embraces and nurtures the vines. This mineral-poor soil contains just the right amount of humus to give the wine soft, pleasant tones. The delicate balance between soil and climate is the ideal model for crafting elegant wines that reflect this great winemaking patrimony. The cellar is marked by a balance between the modern and the ancient that allows the fruit to be transformed into a great wine.