Type of wine: Red
Production Area: Val Tidone, with the vineyard on the top of a steep hill, facing southeast. The soil is clayey, calcareous and marly.
Grape Varieties: the vineyard is planted with typical local varieties together with allochthonous ones that favour better sensory complexity. The training system is spurred cordon, with 5000 plants per hectare and a yield of 700-800 g of grapes per vine, guaranteeing high quality.
Grape Harvest: it is only done when the grapes reach optimum phenolic and technological ripeness. The Syrah grapes are harvested in crates and then gently destemmed, leaving about 30-40% of the berries intact. Part of the grapes are dried under controlled conditions and then vinified separately.
Yield: yield is limited to 30 hl per hectare with appropriate agronomic intervention and manual bunch thinning.
Winemaking: the wine is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at 26-30°C. This is followed by maceration on the skins for another two weeks. Once maceration is completed, all the wine is put into French oak barriques where malolactic fermentation takes place on the noble lees for at least 12 months, with periodic batonnage. At the end of this period the wine is prepared for blending and is put into 20 hl barrels for a further 15 months.
Colour: bright ruby-red with slight garnet highlights.
Aroma: slightly dried black berries (marasca cherry, elderberry, blueberry and blackcurrant) with a pleasant hint of wild strawberries. Floral scents (pinks, violets, dried red rose) with overtones of aromatic golden-leaf tobacco, liquorice and a balsamic pepper mix. A perfectly integrated and pleasant vanilla and oaky aroma.
Flavour: a good structure, elegant and well-balanced alcohol, softness and acidity; pleasant and round with intense, soft tannins well blended into the structure. The aftertaste starts off reminiscent of black fruits and golden-leaf tobacco, and closes with a long, rich finish of vanilla and spice.