~95pts WINE SPECTATOR Gorgeous aromas of blackberry, currant, raspberry and just a hint of toasty oak and coffee. Full-bodied, with supervelvety tannins and wonderful balance. The finish goes on and on. 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 percent Merlot and 20 percent Sangiovese. Best after 2011. 3,160 cases made.

Tasting notes

An internationally-styled, super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine's dense aromas of cassis and black stone fruit are offset by notes of herbs, spice and sweet oak which carry onto a ripe palate marked by firm tannic structure.

Rating

95 Pts Wine Spectator Gorgeous aromas of blackberry, currant, raspberry and just a hint of toasty oak and coffee. Full-bodied, with supervelvety tannins and wonderful balance. The finish goes on and on. 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 percent Merlot and 20 percent Sangiovese. Best after 2011.

Wine maker notes

The southerly-exposed vineyards occupy a total of 150 acres at an altitude of 200 to 300 metres (600 to 900 feet) on a variety of soils which include limestone, clay, sand and the rocky galestro of Chianti. The oldest vines called the Vigna dell’ Impero (the ”Vineyard of the Empire”), lie on a five-acre plot planted in 1935 by Vittorio Emmanuele di Savoia, Count of Turin. This hand-terraced vineyard, planted primarily to Sangiovese vines, is adjacent to an 87-acre plot, also of principally Sangiovese vines, planted in the early1960s. Newer plantings, which total 68 acres and date from 1997, 1999 and 2000, are apportioned 35 acres to Sangiovese, eighteen acres to Merlot, thirteen acres to Cabernet Sauvignon and five acres to experimental varieties. A green harvest in May reduces clusters to one or two per stock. At harvest the clusters are handpicked, sorted, destemmed, and the skins broken rather than crushed. Fermentation with selected yeasts takes place in a combination of temperature controlled stainless steel and lined open-top fermentors. A maceration period of 25 days including fermentation, with gentle manual punching down of the cap, is followed by natural malolactic fermentation in tank. The wine is placed in new, 225-liter Allier oak barriques for a period of twelve to eighteen months. A first blending of lots takes place when the wine is placed in barrique; a second at the first racking. The finished wine is bottled without filtration and rests one year prior to release.

Technical notes

GRAPE VARIETIES: 50% Sangiovese 25% Cabernet Sauvignon 25% Merlot ALCOHOL CONTENT: 13.5% YIELD: 45 - 50 hl/ha (202 - 225 cases/acre) TOTAL ACIDITY: 5.2 grams/liter pH: 3.6