Winemaker Notes
A grape variety traditional to the Maremma, vermentino achieves ideal ripeness in these hills, thanks to the nearby Mediterranean, which tempers the hot weather, particularly in the autumn. A small amount of sauvignon blanc confers on the wine increased aromatic complexity and a sturdier structure, and the result is an appealing, easy-drinking white.
Straw yellow in appearance, the wine releases refreshing hints of grapefruit, spring blossoms, and fresh-mown hay, while the crisp palate tantalises with delicate citrus in the background.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Delivers green melon and lemon on the nose and palate, with hints of cream. Full-bodied, featuring lovely fruit that turns to mango and papaya. Flavorful. Reminiscent of a minerally Condrieu. Drink now. 5,000 cases made.
A fantastic, aromatic white grape that grows with great success in Sardinia, Tuscany and in lesser proportions on the island of Corsica. Somm Secret—Vermentino is thought to be genetically identical to Liguria’s Pigato grape and Peidmont’s Favorita. It comprises a large proportion of the whites in southern France where it is called Rolle.
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.