Piazzano Colli della Toscana Centrale Pratile 2014
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Bettarini family have farmed Fattoria di Piazzano since its inception in 1948, when Otello Bettarini, a successful manufacturer from nearby Prato, fell in love with the area’s rolling landscape and bucolic charm. But winemaking in these tufted hills south of Empoli goes back considerably farther than that; archeological excavations on the property have unearthed wine amphorae dating from the 4th century CE! In fact, the very name Piazzano is derived from the Latin “Fundus Plautianus,” or “Plautus’ Farm,” a proud acknowledgement of the land’s heritage and historical esteem. And a closer look at the estate’s unique placement may reveal why: the property runs across a geological fault line, the resulting tectonic mashup of which exhumed an astonishing array of distinct soil types throughout the vineyards. Today, brother and sister Rolando and Ilaria Bettarini take shrewd advantage of this diversity in terroir, vinifiying each plot separately, blending only the best expressions and selling off the remainder. For decades this passionate, family-run operation has produced quality wines of typicity at a fraction of the price of its better-known neighbors within the bounds of Chianti Classico a few miles to the east.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
One of the most iconic Italian regions for wine, scenery and history, Tuscany is the world’s most important outpost for the Sangiovese grape. Tuscan wine ranges in style from fruity and simple to complex and age-worthy, Sangiovese makes up a significant percentage of plantings here, with the white Trebbiano Toscano coming in second.
Within Tuscany, many esteemed wines have their own respective sub-zones, including Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The climate is Mediterranean and the topography consists mostly of picturesque rolling hills, scattered with vineyards.
Sangiovese at its simplest produces straightforward pizza-friendly Tuscan wines with bright and juicy red fruit, but at its best it shows remarkable complexity and ageability. Top-quality Sangiovese-based wines can be expressive of a range of characteristics such as sour cherry, balsamic, dried herbs, leather, fresh earth, dried flowers, anise and tobacco. Brunello, an exceptionally bold Tuscan wine, expresses well the particularities of vintage variations and is thus popular among collectors. Chianti is associated with tangy and food-friendly dry wines at various price points. A more recent phenomenon as of the 1970s is the “Super Tuscan”—a red wine made from international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, with or without Sangiovese. These are common in Tuscany’s coastal regions like Bolgheri, Val di Cornia, Carmignano and the island of Elba.