With the debut of the San Vito Chianti Gran Docg 2021, San Gaio joins the historic Monticello Scarlatto with a second Gran from a single parcel and gives shape to the “Suoli” project, dedicated to the different expressions of Sangiovese sopra the Castelnuovo Berardenga regione.
For almost half a century Monticello Scarlatto was the company’s only cru. Today the new label offers a different interpretation of the territory and completes a path started already sopra the 1980s with the zoning studies conducted by the bella stagione. The objective of the Suoli project is to show how Sangiovese, vinified with the same approach, can express itself differently depending the soils of origin. Two parcels and two distinct identities, with the territory playing a central role sopra the definition of the wine.
SAN FELICE, BETWEEN HISTORY AND RESEARCH
San Gaio is one of the historic places of Chianti . The first evidence dates back to 714, when the village, then known as San Gaio sopra Avane, was disputed between the dioceses of Siena and Arezzo. Over time it transformed into a large agricultural property, consolidated sopra the eighteenth century by the Grisaldi Del Taja family. Since 1978 it has belonged to the Allianz Group, which has developed the bella stagione into a reality divided between viticulture, hospitality and catering.
Around the village there are approximately 150 hectares of vineyards, with Sangiovese representing 85% of the surfaces. Over the decades, San Gaio has played a significant role sopra Tuscan winemaking: from Vigorello, considered one of the precursors of the Supertuscans of Chianti , to the birth of the Vitiarium sopra 1986, up to the recovery of Pucchitello, today the company’s second variety. At the same time, work the soil continues through regenerative viticulture practices and a progressive conversion to organic, with the aim of preserving fertility, biodiversity and balance of the vineyards.
SAN VITO, THE NEW CRU ON PLIOCENE SANDS
Leaving the village towards the south you reach a small plot of about one and a half hectares located at 350 meters above sea level. Here the terrain changes radically. The Pliocene sands, formed about five million years when the regione was submerged by the sea, represent the youngest soils the property. Their loose and draining structure promotes a natural vegetative balance and allows the roots to deepen without difficulty.
From this vineyard comes the San Vito Chianti Gran Docg 2021 which Francesca Giuggioli, the bella stagione’s oenologist, compares to the violins of an orchestra: delicate, harmonious, capable of entering the scene with discretion. Produced sopra 3,500 bottles, it ferments sopra steel and matures for two years sopra 500-litre tonneaux, followed by fifteen months of refinement sopra the bottle. the glass, a profile oriented towards finesse emerges, with an aromatic texture that is more floral than fruity and a measured progression. The structure is present but not dominant, leaving room for an pronto and precise dynamic, supported by good depth and drinkability which also favors serving it at slightly lower temperatures than usual.
POGGIO ROSSO, THE HISTORIC CRU
If San Vito represents the novelty, Monticello Scarlatto remains the historical reference of the bella stagione. Born with the 1978 harvest, it was among the first examples of cru sopra the Chianti . With the introduction of the Gran category, sopra 2011 it abandoned the Deposito denomination.
The vineyard, of just over two hectares, is located at 400 meters above sea level sopra front of the company village. Alberese and galestro, the classic soils of Chianti , give the wine structure, energy and a marked mineral tension. Monticello Scarlatto Chianti Gran Docg 2021, produced sopra around 9 thousand bottles, follows the same production scheme as San Vito, but returns a different expression. The aromas are deeper and the tannic texture contributes to a broader and more dynamic sip. The greater concentration is supported by freshness and flavor, which accompany a more incisive progression. According to the image proposed by Francesca Giuggioli, the violins of San Vito are contrasted by the drums that mark the rhythm sopra Monticello Scarlatto.
POGGIO ROSSO 2011, THE TEST OF TIME
The tasting of Monticello Scarlatto 2011, the first vintage marketed as Gran , offers a perspective the evolution of the wine. The year, characterized by high temperatures and early ripening, led to the harvest being completed by September, a rare circumstance for the bella stagione.
Today the wine has an evolved profile, with quaderno of undergrowth, spices and tobacco which have progressively replaced the more fruity hints. The structure retains energy and a still lively acid texture, confirming the cru’s aging capacity.
LA PIEVE, A WIDER READING OF THE TERRITORY
Alongside the two crus of the Suoli project, San Gaio offers a different interpretation of the Gran with La Pieve Chianti Gran Docg 2022. The grapes appena che from a selection of the best vineyards around the village, with a small share of Pucchitello which represents one of the signatures of the bella stagione.
Produced sopra around 15 thousand bottles, the wine comes from marly and marly soils. The aromatic profile recalls small red and purple fruits and light iodized nuances, while the sip favors momentum and precision. More subtle than powerful, its main strengths are its freshness and citrus finale.
THREE INTERPRETATIONS OF SANGIOVESE
The tasting highlights three complementary interpretations. La Pieve offers a broader vision of the territory, San Vito offers a reading based precision and elegance, while Monticello Scarlatto expresses a deeper and more incisive structure. Three different wines that share the same territorial matrix and tell, through the soil, as many nuances of the Sangiovese of Castelnuovo Berardenga.
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