ROSSO DI MONTALCINO – Denominazione di Origine Controllata
VINTAGE 2018 – bottles produced: 27.272 of 750 ml
100% sangiovese selected from Montalcino
wine produced with both selected sangiovese grapes reclassified from Brunello di Montalcino designated vineyards and those designated as Rosso di Montalcino for a total of approximately 7 hectares planted in 1988/1998/2000 in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, south-east of Montalcino at an altitude that varies from 150 (492 ft) to 350 (1150 ft) meters a.s.l. The soil is of medium consistency, calcareous-clayey with presence of sands and marl, rich in minerals and skeleton.
the principle of sustainability leads to the best development of each single vine through practices respectful of the soil, of the grape variety and of the vintage.
The vines are trained to spurred cordon and guyot with a density from 3000 to 5700 plants per hectare.
The 2018 vintage was characterized by a cold winter with abundant precipitations, both snowy and rainy, that helped to recover the lack of water reserves in the soil from the previous year. Higher temperature than the average registered in March and April followed by a fairly rainy May. From the first week of June the temperatures started to rise again until the month of August with occasional, scattered thunderstorms. Sunny days in September with significant diurnal temperature range allowed a good phenolic and aromatic ripening of the grapes.
grapes are hand-picked by trained winery staff from the 19th to the 26th of September. The grapes selected during the harvest are the result of a careful management of the vegetative growth of the vines so that they express the characteristics of the appellation at their best.
the collected grapes reach the cellar in a short time and are addressed to the destemming process with the use of dry ice that prevent the berries from oxidation and, by cooling down the temperatures, preserve their original characteristics. Cool temperatures are kept for 7/8 days and allow the development of indigenous yeasts. The alcoholic fermentation starts spontaneously at about 12°C (53°F) up to 27°C (80°F) and lasts 25/30 days with frequent pump-overs. The sugars converted into alcohol at a temperature of 20°-25°C (68/77°F). After draining off the skins, malolactic conversion occurs in stainless steel. The wine evolves in Slavonian and French oak vessels of various sizes for some months followed by a further refinement in bottle for a minimum of 4 months.
Alcohol 14% Vol.; total acidity 5.3 g/l; dry extract 30.3 g/l; reduced sugar <1 g/l: pH 3.43