2018 Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Casale Falchini, Tuscany, Italy
About this WINE
Casale Falchini
Azienda Agricola Casale-Falchini is located just two steps outside the walls of San Gimignano in Tuscany. The property was acquired by Riccardo Falchini in 1964, a descendant of an ancient Florentine family of winemakers.
Situated 300 metres above sea level, it extends over a landscape of green rolling hills. The Casale used to be an ancient convent run by monks. In 1976 a new modern cellar was built, the first in the area to be equipped with temperature controlled vinification equipment.
Vernaccia has been grown on the sandstone soils around this famous village since it was first documented in the
13th century. Its superiority over the ubiquitous Trebbiano was confirmed in 1993 with its elevation to Denominazione di Origine e Controllata e Garantita (D.O.C.G.) status.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is an ancient Tuscan white wine that dates back to the 1st century AD.
It was the first to be classified as a DOC in March 1966 and was promoted to DOCG status in 1993. The name `Vernaccia' comes from the original dialect here, meaning simply `white wine'. Stylistically Vernaccia di San Gimignano is light-bodied with a stony, citrus, almost salty character, thanks in part to the sandstone soils surrounding this famous fortified village.
Recommended producer: Casale
Vernaccia
From the Latin 'vernaculum' meaning local, the Vernaccia grape is often ascribed to many varieties the length of Italy.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG is its most famous form, grown around the eponymous hilltop town near Siena, Tuscany ever since the 13th century. Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a light to medium bodied dry wine, with bright citrus fruit, crisp acidity & a tangy almost salty finish.
Azzienda Agricola Casale (Riccardo Falchini) is a respectable source.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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