About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The fruit comes from a historic Casanova estate vineyard in the municipality of Terricciola, at 200 m above sea level. Its sandy soils are rich in marine deposits and give the Sangiovese what the source calls a Piedmontese interpretation. The vines average 30 years of age.
Vinification
The grapes undergo 10 days of maceration and fermentation in temperature-controlled steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels, half of them new.
Ageing
The wine remains in the French oak barrels for 24 months. After bottling, it matures for at least another 100 months.
Tasting profile
Powerful and mineral-driven, with a firm palate and a savoury, compelling finish that lingers.
Label / history
The label reproduces Albrecht Dürer’s famous rhinoceros drawing and woodcut. Giorgio Rivetti’s fondness for the image derives from a story dating to 1515, when the governor of India presented a rhinoceros to the King of Portugal. According to the account, it was pitted against an elephant, which fled. A description of the rhinoceros subsequently reached Germany, where Dürer created his drawing and woodcut—probably from sketches and without seeing the animal himself. His imaginative depiction influenced European illustrators for the following 300 years.
Casanova was founded in 2001 in Terricciola, between Pisa and Volterra in the Chianti hills. Its vineyards cover approximately 65 ha. Giorgio Rivetti is the estate’s chief winemaker and focuses on local grape varieties rather than French ones.
