About this WINE
Poggio Lamentano
Poggio Lamentano, located in the rural coastal region of Bolgheri, was acquired by the Żyw family in the 1960s. Aleksander Żyw, a War Artist for the Polish army during WWII, and his wife Leslie moved to Tuscany to manage the property. While Aleksander painted, Leslie worked the olive grove, producing the first single-farm olive oil sold in the UK, praised by cookery writer Elizabeth David. Since 1962, they have produced EVOO every harvest, which is sold on strict allocation today.
Though Poggio Lamentano has a long history with olive groves, its potential for world-class wine production has always been evident. The estate boasts the second-oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the region, next to Sassicaia. However, they did not produce wine for sale until the 2020 vintage, with help from Luca Marrone of Grattamacco and Giorgio Meletti of Cavallari. Their wine blends ancient Tuscan traditions with contemporary influences.
Situated on one of the region’s few hills, Lamentano neighbours exceptional vineyards like Gaja’s Ca’Marcanda and Grattamacco. These higher-altitude vineyards benefit from cooler winds and complex, mineral-rich soils. Lamentano’s use of amphora instead of oak results in a wine with clean, savoury Mediterranean flavours, lighter and without sweet oak influence. Their “Extra Tuscan” style emphasises the character of the vineyards, blending native Sangiovese.
Producing around 1,333 bottles annually, Lamentano is pioneering a new regional style. Jancis Robinson scored their 2021 release 18/20, her second-highest for a Bolgheri wine that year, marking them as a promising investment for collectors and enthusiasts alike.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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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