Questo vino
Vineyard and terroir
The Fontalle vineyard covers 26.57 ha at 300 m above sea level, on clay-rich shale soils.
Grapes
The vineyard is planted with Sangiovese Grosso.
Vinification
The grapes are harvested by hand in early October. Fermentation takes place at a controlled 25 °C, with pump-overs and 20 days of maceration. Half of the wine is fermented in oak barriques.
Ageing
The barrique-fermented half matures in the same type of vessel for 12 months, while the other half spends 24 months in large French oak botti. The wine rests for at least a further three months after bottling.
Label / history
The wine takes its name from the Fontalle vineyard, which existed when Niccolò Machiavelli owned the estate. The vineyard was named after a spring—fonte in Italian—whose clear water flowed beneath an ancient olive tree; both belonged to the historic Sant’Andrea farm.
Niccolò Machiavelli inherited the farm in Sant’Andrea in Percussina from his father. He wrote there while continuing his father’s cultivation of vineyards and olive groves. The estate has since been restored, while its preserved historic cellar remains in use for ageing Machiavelli wines. Machiavelli is part of Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV).
The 2005 wine received a silver medal at the 2009 International Wine Challenge.
