Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2020

Ce Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG provient des coteaux de Montepulciano, dans la province de Sienne, au sud-est de la Toscane. Les 47 hectares dédiés à cette cuvée s’étagent entre 300 et 450 mètres d’altitude, sur des sols argilo-limoneux présentant une présence moyenne de cailloux. Le Sangiovese, ici nommé Prugnolo Gentile, y trouve un cadre privilégié pour exprimer à la fois profondeur, fraîcheur et caractère toscan.

Les raisins sont vendangés manuellement, puis soumis à un tri optique. La fermentation et la macération se déroulent durant 15 à 20 jours en cuves tronconiques d’acier inoxydable. Le vin est ensuite élevé environ 12 à 14 mois sous bois : deux tiers en tonneaux de chêne français et un tiers en grands contenants.

Ce vin dévoile des notes de griotte, de prune rouge, de baies rouges, de cerise noire, de poivre noir, d’épices fines, de garrigue, de pin, de fumée, de pierre concassée et d’agrumes. La bouche se montre soyeuse et ample, portée par une acidité fraîche et une trame minérale. Les tanins fins, légèrement crayeux et délicatement accrocheurs, encadrent une finale longue, savoureuse et épicée.

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!