Monte Rosso
Maremma Toscana d.o.c.
Grapes: Ciliegiolo 100%
Alc. 13%
Nocchianello Nero is the name of an ancient grape of Pitigliano and surroundings. It is truly autochthonous with no known genetic relationship to other grapes.
We have brought it back to cultivation in 2010, starting from the old vine varieties collected by the CREA of Arezzo, a research institute specializing in viticulture; in the 70s they gathered all the vine genetics they could find in the old vineyards of the area.
We also found a few nocchianello vines in the old San Lorenzo vineyard and so we grafted a few rows with it.
The nocchianello nero vine is quite vigorous; the mature leaf is thick and resembles the fig leaf and the sprouts are long. Somehow it looks like a plant apt to be trained as a pergola.
The grapes ripe late, at least 10 days after sangiovese and this can be quite interesting in this crazy weather when everything gets ripe too early: a better expression of the aroma can be achieved when the temperatures are not too high in the last ripening phase.
The grapes are beautiful, very pruinose, hard and crispy. The sugar intake is good, and the acidity remains at a good level. It is not very coloured. We have made small vilifications starting in 2011 and now finally vintage 2019 has been released.
The wine is red ruby, bright, of medium intensity. The aroma displays spicy notes, white pepper, cassis, nutmeg with a not of something wild. In the mouth it is medium bodied, with good acidity and non-aggressive tannins, good aromatic persistence ant tons of ground pepper.
