2009 La Porta di Vertine Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG
prossima uscita…… coming soon!!
2008 La Porta di Vertine Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG
About the wine:
Made from the best selection of Sangiovese from The Vertine, Adine and Colle ai Lecci vineyards. Vinification broadly resembled that of the Chianti Classico, with very little handling and no addition of either sulphur nor yeast. The Riserva is not a vineyard selection but a cellar selection, in which the best wines end up in the Riserva blend.
After the grapes arrived in the cellar they were destemmed, but not crushed and led into concrete vats varying in content between 10 and 100hl. Fermentation is done by ambient yeast only and without temperature control. After alcoholic fermentation, the different batches of wines remain on the skins for up to eight weeks.
The philosophy behind the unusually long period of post fermentation maceration is to think of the tanks as a highly complex unity of skin, lees and wine. At first the skin contact is determinately extraction, whereas the following period is about the exchange between wine, skins, tannins and lees, adding richness and complexity to the final wine.
The wines are racked in large oak casks and tonneaux where it remains for a year on the fine lees, the long contact results in a denser, rounder mouthfeel. After a second racking the wines remain in cask for an additional 10 months. After the wine has been bottled it is estate cellared for at least another year before release onto the market.
Grape variety:
Sangiovese
2007 La Porta di Vertine Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG
About the wine:
The grapes, 100% Sangiovese, were harvested from Campacci in Adine and Conca d’Oro in Vertine with the same dedication and philosophy as explained previously under Chianti Classico. The fruit was of such high quality, with very ripe tannins, that Giacomo decided to ferment a tank with half of the fruit on the stems, whole bunch, while the balance was destemmed but not crushed. The fruit remained unsulphured and the alcoholic fermentation was triggered off by indigenous yeast. An unusually long maceration time up to 65 days.
After alcoholic fermentation the wine was racked off in Austrian oval casks of 500l as well as new and second passage barrique, where it remained without any disturbance for eight to ten months on the fine lees, followed by another eight to nine months in 25hl Slavonian oak cask.
After bottling the wine was aged an additional 12 months in the cellar.
Grape variety:
Sangiovese
2006 La Porta di Vertine Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG
About the wine:
The Riserva is considered the most important wine of the estate and is made of only Sangiovese. A selection of the best grapes from the Conca d’Oro and the Campino die Visconti vineyards in Vertine, the winemaking philosophy mirrors closely that of the Chianti Classico.
During a very late harvest, taking place mid October, the grapes were hand picked and transported in small crates. After arrival in the cellar, the grapes were destemmed but not crushed and put into small stainless steel and concrete tanks without any addition of Sulphides. Indigenous yeast triggered off the fermentation without any aid of controlled temperature, as the natural low temperature of the cellar allows for a slow and regular vinification, preserving the elegant aromas of Sangiovese. The length and frequency of pumping over was entirely determined by the quality of the grapes. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation only a single delestage, in which the wine stays separately from the skins for the duration of an entire night, is executed. This unusual method allows for the temperature to go up in the skin mass, giving the yeast one final boost to ferment any residual sugars left and optimises the extraction.
After fermentation the wine stays on the skin for another two weeks before being racked in barrique and tonneaux. The wine went through malolactic fermentation in used barrels and casks, with only a tiny proportion of new oak during the wine’s first of two mandatory years of ageing. It is at this stage that it is decided to use minimal quantities of sulphides. The wine remains for another eight to ten months on the fine lees without any intervention. during this period the lees not only protect the wine in a natural way, but also adds a layer of complexity as well as richness.
After bottling the wine stays in the cellar for another six months before its market release.
Grape variety:
Sangiovese