Poliziano Fiori Rossi 2024

Poliziano - Fiori Rossi comes from the Carletti family's vineyards, north-east of Montepulciano, in south-eastern Tuscany. The plots for this cuvée, at between 300 and 400 metres, lie on clay, limestone and silt soils. Sangiovese, known locally as Prugnolo Gentile, benefits from a sunny climate; the 2024 vintage, marked by a mild winter and a hot summer, produced concentrated, balanced grapes.

The grapes ferment with native yeasts and macerate for around ten days in stainless-steel tanks. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 8 months in a 30-hectolitre truncated-cone vat, a vessel that respects the floral, fruity expression of Sangiovese while refining its texture.

This wine reveals notes of dried flowers, rose, pomegranate, morello cherry, raspberry, bay leaf, white pepper and light leather. Flowers and red fruit open a bouquet of great finesse, lifted by aromatic herbs and spices. The concentrated, precise palate offers crisp acidity, velvety tannins and a tight finish that combines substance and balance.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful, hedonistic country, the land of la dolce vita, but how difficult it is to understand its wine industry! The key to understanding the appellation system in Italy is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single homogeneous nation, as each region has its own appellation system. Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavors and styles, bottles brimming with surprise and creativity. Unfortunately, it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most commercially useful and prestigious name: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco, and many others... But let's talk a little history. Viticulture in Italy dates back to antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and modified the grape varieties, subsequently calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and certain regions already distinguished themselves by the excellence of their product. The Romans also established numerous vineyards in Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquest. Today, Italy is the world's largest wine producer, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a rather harsh mountain climate. The plains of the "central boot" are characterized by a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. In the southern part of the Italian boot, the Mediterranean climate prevails, with very hot and dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a wide variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of which originated in its own lands. It is a country as complex as its wines, which deserve to be explored!