Poliziano Le Caggiole 2018

Le Caggiole comes from a 14-hectare vineyard on the road linking Montepulciano to Gracciano, at the heart of southern Tuscany. Within the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG appellation, this plot rises to around 350 metres above sea level, with an easterly exposure and sandy soils of marine origin that give the wine finesse and saline freshness.

The grapes undergo a 36-hour cold pre-fermentation maceration, followed by fermentation with natural yeasts and malolactic fermentation. The wine is lightly filtered before bottling. It is aged for 16 months in 500-litre French oak tonneaux, split between new, once-used and twice-used barrels, followed by 12 months of rest in bottle.

This wine reveals notes of ripe cherry, wild strawberry, plum, jammy red fruit, peony, dried rose, vanilla, sweet spices, tobacco, cocoa, grilled sage and pencil lead. The palate is silky, precise and juicy, carried by fresh acidity and tight yet perfectly integrated tannins. Its elegant body keeps its relief, while the long finish blends fruit, dried herbs and delicate smoky hints.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful hedonistic country, home of the Dolce Vita, but how hard it is to understand how its wine is organised! The key to understanding Italy's appellation system is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single uniform one, since each region has its own appellation system. Yet Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavours and styles, as well as bottles full of surprise and creativity. Unfortunately it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most useful and commercially renowned names: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco and many others... But let us talk a little history: winegrowing in Italy goes back to the most distant antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and changed the grape varieties, later calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and some regions already stood out for the excellence of their produce. The Romans also planted many vineyards across Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquests. Today Italy is the largest wine producer in the world, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a fairly harsh mountain climate. The plain in the "middle of the boot" has a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. The "south of the boot" enjoys a Mediterranean climate with very hot, very dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a great variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of them native to its land. It is a country just as complex as its wines, and well worth exploring!