About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The product page identifies Pietra Rossa Alto as the vineyard location. The technical sheet describes a broader selection: the Riserva is made only in four- and five-star vintages, using manually selected grapes from the vineyards that supply the classic Vino Nobile. The vines are 10–35 years old.
The vineyards stand at 350–450 m above sea level on Pliocene-origin clay soils with south-east exposure. Training is described as spalliera with spur-pruned cordons, at a density of 4,500 vines per hectare.
Grapes
80% Prugnolo Gentile, 10% Canaiolo Nero and 10% Colorino. The technical sheet describes the blend more generally as Sangiovese—locally called Prugnolo Gentile—with small proportions of other indigenous red varieties.
Vinification
The grapes are harvested by hand, selected and destemmed before crushing. Selected yeasts initiate alcoholic fermentation. The technical sheet specifies fermentation in steel and concrete vats for approximately 20–21 days at 26–28°C. Skin maceration lasts for the same period, with frequent daily pump-overs. The product page instead gives a fermentation period of 15 days in 25–30 hl steel vats.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in steel vats or oak barrels.
Ageing
After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for 36 months in 5–20 hl French and Slavonian oak barrels, with racking every six months. It then settles for 4–6 months in steel vats. The technical sheet specifies a further 12 months in bottle before release, while the product page gives 8–10 months.
Technical data
Annual production is given as 8,000–10,000 bottles on the product page and 10,000–12,000 bottles in the technical sheet.
Vintage notes
The Riserva is produced only in vintages rated four or five stars. The technical sheet identifies 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016 among the best vintages of the preceding 20 years.
The wine is described as reaching maturity 25–35 years after harvest, with a maturity plateau between 5 and 18 years.
