Helichrysum 2019

Cette cuvée provient des vignobles les plus élevés du domaine San Polino, au sud-est de Montalcino, en Toscane, dans l’appellation Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. La parcelle, exposée au sud et située à 450 mètres d’altitude, repose sur un sol très hétérogène de galestro, traversé de veines ferrugineuses et sableuses. Elle doit son nom à l’hélichryse, plante aromatique sauvage qui pousse parmi les vignes.

Les raisins sont récoltés à la main, puis vinifiés par fermentation spontanée avec les levures indigènes dans des cuves en bois tronconiques. Une macération à froid de trois jours à 12 °C précède la fermentation, suivie de 50 jours de macération post-fermentaire. L’élevage se poursuit durant six mois ou moins avec bâtonnage en barriques de chêne français, puis trois ans en grands fûts de chêne de Slavonie.

Ce vin dévoile des notes de cerise noire, de mûre, de prune, d’orange sanguine, de rose, de violette, de camomille, de fenouil, de réglisse, de cacao, de tabac, de cèdre et de cuir neuf. La bouche, ample et concentrée sans lourdeur, associe une texture soyeuse à des tanins fins et serrés. Une acidité vibrante lui apporte tension et équilibre, tandis que la finale, longue, juteuse et saline, prolonge son expression épicée et florale.

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!