About this WINE
Scopetone, Tuscany
This is one of Montalcino’s hidden treasures. Unknown to many, Ferruccio Biondi – credited with “inventing” Brunello – planted his first Sangiovese on the best location he could find in the region. That was not the now-famous Tenuta Greppo estate, however, but rather the Scarnacuoia cru – where we find Podere Scopetone’s vines today.
This tiny, hallowed site, replanted in 1978, gives a taste of the region’s origins. Its soils are some of the area’s oldest due to the exfoliating exposure of this treacherously steep slope. Since local couple Loredana Tanganelli and Antonio Brandi acquired it in 2009, they have given new life and new meaning to Brunello’s original vineyard. They’re building a reputation for making some of the region’s purest, most desirable wines. Their total production is a tiny 2.5 hectares. They farm organically, though you won’t find certification on the label.
Sangiovese
A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.
It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.
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Description
Showing pretty, perfume, fruity purity and poise, this light, essential 100% Sangiovese from Tuscany exceeds expectations. Vinified without oak, Loredana and Antonio have blended their fruit from Montecucco (80%) and Montalcino (20%); the stony clay soils of Montecucco bringing cool relief while the sandy, 'terra di Castagnola' red soils of their part of Montalcino bringing refinement and class. The vintage in Tuscany was rememberd for drought, yet this everyday wine displays a pretty Pinot-esque, fruity nose of blackberries (with a dash of cream?). It's succulent to the taste, light but fleshy darker raspberry/brambly fruit that's soft and flowing, the 14% abv offset by cool, red cherry stone minerality. Perfect for meaty antipasti or primi/pasta dishes.
David Berry Green
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