" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
San Felice Vigorello Toscana IGT 2018
Our Price: $70.00 $65.00
6 bottles with free shipping for: $390.00
12 bottles with free shipping for: $720.00
6 bottles with free shipping for: $390.00
12 bottles with free shipping for: $720.00
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| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Tuscany |
| Winery: | San Felice |
| Grape Type: | Pugnitello |
| Vintage: | 2018 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Product Description
San Felice Vigorello Toscana IGT is made from Pugnitello 35%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, Petit Verdot 5%.
THE ORIGINS
It’s 1968, and an important time at San Felice: the first Super Tuscan ever produced in Chianti Classico, Vigorello, is born as a 100% Sangiovese.
Its birth represents both a breaking point with traditional production rules and the beginning of a period of appreciation and development of the entire region and its most prized variety.
THE EVOLUTION: 1968-2018
Since then, Vigorello has continued to evolve in a compelling and continuous way, along the path to date: in 1979, the wine becomes a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon; in 2001, the inclusion of Merlot into the blend, which in 2006 will entirely replace Sangiovese; in 2011 the turning point, with the introduction of Pugnitello, a native vine rediscovered through studies in the Vitiarium, which since then has marked its uniqueness and the return to its most authentic Tuscan roots, blended with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.
Review:
Still marked by vanilla and new oak, but this has loads of blackberry, black cherry and plum fruit. It's rich without overextraction, boasting dense tannins, superb balance and a long finish. Pugnitello, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. To be released in 2022 for Vigorello's 50th anniversary. —San Felice Vigorello Non-blind Retrospective (April 2021). Best from 2025 through 2050. 3,333 cases made, 500 cases imported. — BS
Wine Spectator 94 Points
Winery: San Felice
Agricola San Felice is recognised as an innovative estate, partly because of its ability to spot trends before they develop and partly because of its intense research and experimentation. At the same time, however, its production style accentuates the uniqueness and typical character of its territory by retaining a close attachment to tradition.
The estate’s history confirms this status, as witness the creation of Vigorello in the late 1960s, which marked a new approach to winemaking and was the forerunner of the famous Supertuscans. This was followed in the 1970s by the creation of Poggio Rosso, a first, and at the time rare, example of a Chianti Classico ‘cru’.
But it was perhaps the estate’s early research into indigenous grape varieties in the late 1980s, that brought the San Felice production philosophy to full fruition. Unlike the majority of producers, who were shifting towards international varieties at the time, San Felice identified a number of forgotten, indigenous grape varieties in its experimental vineyard, the Vitiarium, and embarked on a programme of blending them with Sangiovese.
Many years of work went into this, driven by a sincere commitment to improvement, and the awareness that the most important discoveries are always rooted in tradition.
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Situation
Spreads out over the south-east side of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills, in Beaumes de Venise in the southern part of the Rhone valley.
Terroir
On a poor sandy, hungry and arid soil consisting of tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.
In the vineyard
The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.
The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.
We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).
As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques . Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.
Winemaking
We make two red wines at the estate. Terroir wines shaped by the two classic Côtes du Rhône varieties: Grenache and Syrah. We don’t follow any winemaking recipe but are constantly searching for the perfect expression of terroir and each vintage’s particular characteristics. We don’t go for overripe grapes and over-extraction, as we think the wine has to stay refreshing and balanced.
Leaving the wine for 15 days in concrete vats, we try to gently extract the tannins and anthocyanins essential for the wine’s structure and colour. The wine doesn’t come into any contact with wood during ageing. This way the characteristics of our terroir can fully express
Serve with a meal especially red meat, game and cheese.
Review:
"A distinctly elegant style of Beaumes de Venise; gently aromatic, but with a good upswell of tannin and a persistent finish. Well-tailored, with peppery herbs on the finish. Also contains 6% Marsanne and 4% Grenache Blanc. Always a good value option."
- Decanter (October 2021), 91 pts
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