Questo vino
Vineyard and terroir
The wine comes from a 10-year-old Montebamboli vineyard facing southeast and planted at 7,500 vines per hectare. Bilateral Guyot training and a deliberately thick canopy shade the bunch zone from direct sunlight. Fruit is selected from the greenest, most shaded clusters, where diffuse light helps preserve aromatic precursors and avoids the sun-darkening locally described as the grapes becoming “tanned.”
The vineyard lies in the Colline Metallifere, within a natural park of approximately 7,000 hectares overlooking the Val di Cornia, around 10 km from the Tyrrhenian coast. Mediterranean scrub, including holm oak, cork oak, broom and strawberry tree, surrounds the vines. The well-ventilated site receives approximately 700 mm of annual rainfall. Its cool, rainy conditions and acidic soils contribute to the wine’s sharp, saline profile.
Grapes
100% Vermentino.
Vinification
The grapes are harvested by hand between late August and early September, with careful selection of bunches and subsequent optical berry sorting. After an overnight rest at 3–5°C, the whole bunches are pressed and the must undergoes static settling. Seventy percent ferments in stainless steel at 18–20°C, while the remaining 30% ferments in first-use barriques.
Ageing
The stainless-steel and barrique selections remain separately on their fine lees for six months. Regular bâtonnage provides natural aromatic protection and enriches the wine’s texture.
Technical data
Alcohol: 12.5% abv.
Tasting profile
Straw green with subtle golden reflections. Shaded-cluster selection accentuates Mediterranean aromas of thyme, rosemary, sage, elderflower and broom blossom, complemented by citron and mandarin. First-use oak fermentation adds flint, oyster-shell and iodine nuances. The palate is vibrant, incisive and saline rather than opulent or oily, with a gastronomic finish recalling sea salt, wet stone and iodine. Its brightness and freshness echo the cool site, while the aromatic character recalls Mediterranean scrub after light rain.
