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Rosso di Montalcino 2020. Youthful, passionate, and profoundly Biondi-Santi.

Biondi-Santi’s Rosso di Montalcino is a proud, independent-minded wine. It is an impressive combination of Sangiovese’s classic depth and texture with crisp fruit and easy drinkability, as well as the deep knowledge, prestigious growing area, and complex emotions of Tenuta Greppo, renowned for its introduction of the very first Brunello, in 1888, and today a hallowed spot for all serious wine-lovers. 

In the words of Technical Director Federico Radi, “Our Rosso di Montalcino is first of all the embodiment of fine balance, with its components of structure, acidity, and … time, all in ideal equilibrium. Even though it is a “youthful” wine, its undeniable elegance is the fruit of patience and of listening to nature, and thus it perfectly mirrors the Biondi-Santi style.  Our Sangiovese, grown in estate vineyards at elevations ranging between 200 and 550 metres, is transformed here into intriguing crispness and well-balanced tannins. This is a Rosso that is a textbook representative of its vintage.”

A mild winter and cool spring ushered in the 2020 growing season at Il Greppo. Summer rains, particularly in June, built up groundwater reserves invaluable during the hot, dry conditions of July and August, enabling the vines to maintain balanced growth and making possible an excellent suite of aromatic precursors in the grapes.  Harvest for Rosso started on September 9, right after some beneficial late-August rains. It matured 12 months in large Slavonian oak casks. 

Rosso di Montalcino DOC is the “entry key” to the world of Biondi-Santi, yet it is accessible to the wide public of wine consumers and is thus able to seduce even the youngest wine-lovers, delighting their palates with the maturity and fascination so quintessential to Brunello. 

Rosso is made exclusively from estate grown grapes and in a number of bottles that is proving unequal to a constantly-growing demand over the last three years, according to CEO Giampiero Bertolini.  A firm believer in the importance of the denomination, he describes Rosso and Brunello as “playing on the same team, both superb examples of an exceptional growing area, and that is why Bondi-Santi has such faith in Rosso di Montalcino.”

Rosso di Montalcino 2020 Biondi-Santi has been available in the markets for only a few weeks, released at three years following the harvest, about one year more than most of the denomination’s wines. Its bouquet offers a rich cornucopia of wild red berry fruit, sweet violets, and red roses, backgrounded by hints of citrus and appealing nuances of pungent balsam and wild Mediterranean herbs. The finest wine shops will be pleased to provide a couple of bottles, one to enjoy immediately, and the other to forget a few years in your wine cellar.

Masseto. The 2020 vintage, an embodiment of its time, makes a debut.

While the harvest has just came to a close in the Masseto vineyard, Masseto 2020 emerges from the estate’s cellars carved into the blue clay depths beneath the vines. Now in its 34th vintage, the iconic wine remains a coveted collector’s piece among wine lovers worldwide.

A product of the homonymous vineyard that first loaned its name to the wine and then to the estate, Masseto has since become synonymous of Italian excellence internationally. The vineyard stretches across one of the hills in Bolgheri, opposite the Tyrrhenian Sea. The few hectares are split into micro-parcels that are harvested and vinified separately.

The magic of this wine lies in the distinctive soil composition that vaunts a vein of Pliocenic blue clay once concealed in the sea, which artfully governs the hydration of the vines, absorbing excess water and keeping the roots fresh and moist, even during extended dry spells. Aligned with the Mediterranean sun and constant sea breezes, these traits form the perfect conditions for a perfect ripening of the grapes.

2020 was no exception. Typified by a mild winter, a spring with normal precipitation, and a hot, dry summer, harvest at Masseto took place in mid-September after propitious rainfall with changes in temperature from day to night. “We always picked the grapes early in the morning to preserve their freshness as much as possible and the harvest ended on 16 September,” explains Gaia Cinnirella, Winemaker and Cellar Master of Masseto. The end result once more encapsulates the essential elegance of this unique place in a glass.

Having been harvested and selected with expert care and attention, the grapes were taken to the cellar, which – as well as being an architectural gem instilled with soul-stirring geometry – was designed with the best possible conditions to turn these generous natural fruits into bottles of rare prestige.

Masseto 2020 has cultivated all the characteristics of the vintage, beginning with elegant concentration. The wine is powerful on the palate with exquisite length and balsamic notes. The integrity of the tannins reveals the hallmark ageing potential of Masseto. 

Marco Balsimelli is the new Production Director of Ornellaia and Masseto

Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO and the Ornellaia and Masseto team welcome Marco Balsimelli who, as of January 2024, will take on the position of Production Director for the two estates in Bolgheri owned by the Frescobaldi family.

Born in 1983, he studied oenology and viticulture at the University of Florence before leaving for Bordeaux, where he graduated from the prestigious Faculté d’Oenologie. He gained considerable experience in different châteaux among which Château Gruaud Larose. Since 2010, he has worked as an oenologist consultant collaborating with Eric Boissenot whose clients include many Grands Cru Classés in Bordeaux but also well-known wineries outside of France.

“We are delighted to welcome Marco Balsimelli to Ornellaia and to Masseto as part of a team of expertise and experience,” says Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja. “Every vintage of Ornellaia and Masseto is a product of meticulous day-to-day work to which dozens of people are dedicated in defining the final excellence.”

“Ornellaia and Masseto represent Italian pride worldwide and we like the idea that an internationally minded Italian will assist us in writing the next chapters,” adds Lamberto Frescobaldi, President of Frescobaldi.

“I would like to thank Giovanni Geddes and Lamberto Frescobaldi for their esteem and trust. It is an incredible honour for me to be called to be part of the team of such prestigious wineries. It is an exciting challenge,” says Marco Balsimelli. “By taking care of the smallest details and working with top professionals, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, we will emphasize the essence of this place and continue to make an important contribution to the Ornellaia and Masseto stories”.

Ornellaia has successfully closed the 15th charity auction dedicated to the Vendemmia d’Artista 2020 La Proporzione project

Profits from the lots go to the Mind’s Eye project by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation

The annual charity auction organised by Sotheby’s ended on 21 September with the sale of 12 exclusive lots during the 15th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista.

Double Magnums, Imperials and a sole 9-litre Salmanazar went under the hammer at the auction, accentuated by the artistic labels designed by Joseph Kosuth, who was invited to interpret the vintage’s character, “La Proporzione” (Proportion). All the bottles help to support, as has been the case since 2019, the “Mind’s Eye” project by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, aimed at enabling accessibility to art for the blind and people with low vision. This year, Ornellaia has donated 300,000 dollars in favour of the program.

Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO of Ornellaia, comments: “We are proud to meet with such success among wine and art enthusiasts. Vendemmia d’Artista has become an essential event for collectors, conveying quality, beauty and solidarity.”

This is the fifth year that Ornellaia has donated the profits from the Vendemmia d’Artista project to the “Mind’s Eye” program while the Bolgheri-based winery has collected and donated more than 2.5 million euro to a range of international museums since the start of the project.

Charity auction for rare bottles of Vendemmia d’Artista Ornellaia 2020 “La Proporzione”

The online auction organised by Sotheby’s will be held from 7 to 21 September 2023. The proceeds will support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundationin New York, Venice and Bilbao

Organised by Sotheby’s, the annual charity auction of bottles from the 15th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista will return online from 7 to 21 September.

Double magnums, imperials and the only 9-litre salmanazar will be among the 12 lots. All the bottles are embellished with labels designed by the American artist Joseph Kosuth, who was invited to interpret this edition’s character, namely “La Proporzione” (Proportion).

The auction will provide collectors with the opportunity to secure lots of high artistic and wine significance, while doing a generous gesture. As in previous years since 2019, all profits will go to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s “Mind’s Eye” program, which welcomes and enhances access to the arts for visitors who are blind or have low vision. “We are proud to support this initiative,” comments Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO of Ornellaia. “Like in art, appreciation of fine wines requires total involvement of the senses. Furthermore, for us, partnering with the Guggenheim Foundation is a way of giving back to the community some of the extraordinary goodwill that nature has bestowed upon us.” These unique bottles are precious for three reasons: their contents, their works of art on the labels and, last but not least, their goal of increasing access to the arts for all visitors.

In 2020, nature and humanity combined to craft a perfect ‘proportion’ of elegance, power and complexity. In order to interpret this correspondence, the leading American conceptual artist and theorist Joseph Kosuth created a set of works based on the word “wine” and a quote from Vitruvius’s De Architectura (3.1.3). The 750ml bottle features the English version of the phrase engraved on the paper. For the 100 double magnums, the etymology of the word “wine” is embossed on the bottle, while each of the unique 10 imperials sees the etymology engraved onto the glass. One branch is accentuated in white and the quote from Vitruvius is translated in the highlighted language or one of its modern descendants: Albanian, Serbo-Croatian, Latin, Italian, Hindi, Hebrew, Modern Greek, Irish, German and Armenian. For the salmanazar, the etymology and quote from Vitruvius below are in English and the highlighting applied to the bottle is in platinum.

Joseph Kosuth: “I believe that language is an important part of experiencing everything and that these experiences shape us in a certain way linguistically. The architecture of experience through language was obviously always at work and I believe that Vitruvius was a major resource in understanding a concept like proportion. Proportion is not only visible equilibrium among the elements, but also equilibrium of all the elements that make it a perfect entity of what it represents for the world, thus also shaping it as conception.”

Tasca d’Almerita presents the new season of Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia on the island of Salina

A series of unique activities including celestial explorations, vineyard walks and culinary experiences overlooking the sea to give guests an immersion in the most authentic and exclusive Sicily.

The light of the lighthouse, just rekindled, is ready to illuminate Care’s: the Ethical Chefs Days, the sustainable food project scheduled in Salina from 25 to 27 May.
Gabriele Camiolo, chef of Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia, will be among the protagonists of the event to promote an approach to cooking that is attentive to the territory, people and resources.

Tasca d’Almerita, the historic Sicilian winery known internationally for the quality of its wines and for its responsible footprint on the environment and territory, announces the re-opening of the season of Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia, located on the Island of Salina, the greenest and most authentic of the Aeolian Islands.

Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia is a project of high Mediterranean hospitality born from the union of nature, volcano, land and sea, realised within the Tenuta Capofaro, one of the five wine estates of the Tasca d’Almerita family. This is home to ‘Anfiteatro’, a historic vineyard of Malvasia, a golden grape, the noblest fruit of the Aeolian Islands, which, dried in the shade, yields the famous local wine, dry or sweet.

Surrounded by 4.5 hectares of vineyard and characterised by a typical Aeolian architecture with white plaster and minimalist style, the Locanda represents the highest expression of hospitality in the archipelago, with a total of 27 rooms, each one different from the other, but all with private terraces from which to catch a glimpse of the outlines of Stromboli and Panarea. Since 2017, moreover, thanks to a major renovation and enhancement project strongly desired by the Tasca d’Almerita family, six new exclusive rooms have been built inside the Capofaro lighthouse, a piece of Salina’s history that has watched over the spectacular sea and promontory since the mid-19th century.

Capofaro passionately recounts the aromas and flavours concentrated by the sun, sea and volcanic soil of Salina through his restaurant, with respect for tradition and a calibrated contemporary sensibility. Immersion in a wine-related ecosystem is the basis of menus where dishes dialogue with Tasca d’Almerita labels and estates.
The Sicilian chef Gabriele Camiolo, together with his brigade, is ready to inaugurate the summer season by offering diners an authentic culinary experience composed of seasonal dishes with local products that respect the environment and have a very short supply chain. Seventy per cent of the ingredients used in the kitchen come from the estates’ vegetable gardens, such as the wheat used to make pasta and especially bread, a genuine product par excellence, awarded by the 2018 Gambero Rosso Restaurant Guide as Italy’s ‘best bread on the table’.

Chef Camiolo’s cuisine is based on listening to the territory to bring to the forefront the part that remains outside the kitchen space; it is a story that begins much earlier, in the months of research on the territory, in the dialogue with producers, in the exchange of knowledge, in the interaction with different landscapes. Gabriele Camiolo’s cuisine goes beyond cooking, it is understood as a set of practices and knowledge of which other people are part.
His idea of sustainability in the kitchen is clear: to understand the raw material in all its potential, to express it in a way that leaves no trace, i.e. waste.
His workhorses, such as the barbecue carrot with wild herbs and spiced almond cream, or the dentex alla mugnaia and Malvasia leaf, or the Aeolian tiramisu, are the fruit of studies and research that have made the Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia an indisputable destination for lovers of haute cuisine.

THE WINE EXPERIENCE

The Anfiteatro vineyard, a verdant and scenic basin in the heart of the Estate, provides a natural backdrop to one of the most exciting Wine Bars in the Mediterranean.
The tasting of more than 50 labels by the glass of great wines from Sicily and the rest of the world is one of the moments of wine learning and conviviality, to be experienced while immersed in the vineyard ecosystem.
To make the wine experience at Capofaro even more complete and unforgettable, tasting routes have been devised, including between the rows of vines accompanied by the sommelier, and knowledge of the different expressions of Malvasia and Tasca d’Almerita production, with matching appetisers prepared by chef Gabriele Camiolo and his brigade.

Tenuta La Massa Giorgio Primo 2019 joins the prestigious Place de Bordeaux

Tenuta La Massa is pleased to announce that this coming September will see the launch of Giorgio Primo 2019 on the prestigious Place de Bordeaux, an achievement quite apropos, since the estate’s winegrowing philosophy has always reflected a French style and an international spirit. “A position on the Place de Bordeaux for our estate’s iconic wine, the quintessence of our winemaking approach, is an opportunity to distribute into markets worldwide and represents the fulfilment of a dream,” commented estate founder Giampaolo Motta. 

Tenuta La Massa is the story of one-man’s search for a terroir on a par with his passions for viticulture and winemaking. In Motta’s case, they were formed in France then definitively rooted in Italy, in Chianti’s Conca d’Oro in Panzano where he found, in 1992, his terra electa, where he grows the vines that make up the superb portfolio of Tenuta La Massa. Motta’s vision to produce an iconic wine and bring it to the Place de Bordeaux is to come true, giving the opportunity of gaining wider recognition for Giorgio Primo on the international ultra-premium wine stage. “La Place de Bordeaux is, by universal acknowledgement, the most prestigious marketplace and distribution network for world-class wines, with particular emphasis on rarities and wines coveted by collectors,” continued Motta. “It is supported by more than 300 négociants, who sell to more than 170 countries across the globe.” 

The first Tenuta La Massa wine to be distributed on Place de Bordeaux will be Giorgio Primo. This cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot is the culmination of continuous, painstaking efforts to achieve perfection, both in vineyard management and in winemaking practices. 

Barre & Touton, long-established courtiers of the Place De Bordeaux, are convinced that the world’s finest wines have their place on La Place. To manage that segment, Barre & Touton established a branch, “Les Vins d’Ailleurs”, directed by Laurent Dufau, dedicated specifically to iconic wines from outside of Bordeaux. 

The launch of Giorgio Primo 2019 will be coordinated by Barre & Touton “Les Vins d’Ailleurs” and offered through a select group of négociants: La Bordelaise des Grands Vins, Crus et Domaines de France, Maison Descaves, Dubos, Joanne Rare Wines & Millesima. 

“We are delighted to be able to represent Giorgio Primo and the winemaking philosophy of Tenuta La Massa,” stated Dufau. “We are honoured to accompany Tenuta La Massa on this new adventure and to offer their wines to the world through Place de Bordeaux.” 

Giorgio Primo 2019, the fruit of years of study of the complex local terroir, is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, which creates a complex, symphony of aromas in the glass. The vines are planted in schist clay, galestro marl and limestone creating distinctive wines that are a true reflection of the terroir. 

The 2019 growing year was characterised by normal weather and by groundwaterreserves that filled over the winter and spring, thus enabling the vines to cope with the summer heat. 

A warm summer with some rainfall, and a normal ripening curve, plus cooler temperatures during the harvest in late September, preserving the grapes’ crisp, elegant aromatics. “That courageous decision to await peak ripeness, the outstanding combination of temperatures and rainfall, and the excellent management of the macerations and maturations in oak,” commented Giampaolo Motta, “meant that we have delivered beautifully balanced wines with exceptional polyphenol concentrations. Both elegance and power, which combines with a superb and savoury finish, the generous gift of our soils.”
A wine, that reflects the land and the interpretation of man. 

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In 1992, Giampaolo Motta, Neapolitan by birth but Tuscan by adoption, encountered La Massa, and that moment formed an indissoluble bond between the man and his terroir. The estate, lying in the magnificent Conca d’Oro of Panzano, in the heart of Chianti Classico, boasts 25 hectares of southwest-facing vineyards. In the 1990s, he initiated a lengthy vineyard restoration project and in-depth terroir research, in an effort to give shape to his dream through his wines: Giorgio Primo, Carla 6, and La Massa. The viticultural and oenological pathways La Massa adopted “break” with traditional Tuscan practices, and the sapient hand of the winemaker ensures that the wines convey the interpretive force of the estate soils. La Massa, the first wine produced, is representative of the emphatic character of a rugged area like Panzano, but at the same time it displays the elegant oenological personality of its creator-winemaker. Next is Carla 6, dedicated to daughter Carla and made with grapes from vineyard parcel 6; a monovarietal Sangiovese, it pays tribute to the grape that embodies Tuscany. Giorgio Primo, named after his grandfather & his son, is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot that synthesises the estate as well as its uninterrupted, near-obsessive striving for perfection, both in the vineyards and in the winecellar. 

I Sodi del Paretaio by Badia di Morrona

Badia di Morrona’s classic expression of its terroir in its Chianti 2022 and Chianti Riserva 2020 versions 

I Sodi del Paretaio and I Sodi del Paretaio Riserva are the standard-bearer Chiantis of Badia di Morrona, representing a lateral overview of the vineyards in this historic estate in Terricciola. Here, in Pisa’s eastern hill country, the Gaslini Alberti family cultivates about 110 hectares of vineyard, and I Sodi del Paretaio, in both the standard current-vintage and the Riserva versions, are pleasant and comprehensive interpretations of their entire valley terroir.

Both versions’ sovereign grape is Sangiovese, grown in vineyards continuously groomed by winds from the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea that both keep the vines dry and temper the summer’s heat. The vineyards are planted deep into clay-based soils that also show alternations of sandstone, rock, grey schist, river cobbles, fossil shells, and alberese marl.

Chianti I Sodi del Paretaio 2022,a cuvée of Sangiovese with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, interprets the hallmarks of a particularly hot dry growing year. These weather conditions affected crop quantity but not grape quality, since the Badia di Morrona viticultural team managed the weather challenges through painstaking ground-working and expert agronomic practices, with the result that berry development was optimal, with good concentrations and aromatic precursors. Complementing their efforts were rains in mid-August and significant day-night temperature variations.

Blend-leader Sangiovese was harvested in mid-September. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks and a subsequent 10-month maturation in traditional concrete vats helped to preserve the nice fruit aromas classic to this wine.

On the other hand, the 100% Sangiovese Chianti I Sodi del Paretaio Riserva 2020 was the offspring of an overall balanced year. The early pace of the growth cycle was partly offset by rains in the final 15-20 days of the season that supplied water to the Sangiovese and somewhat slowed ripening. Harvest took place around 25 September, with the fruit perfectly sound and healthy. 18 months in 44hl French oak ovals and a brief stay in concrete vats before bottling resulted in a Riserva boasting a smooth, enfolding suite of tannins.

I Sodi del Paretaio 2022 and I Sodi del Paretaio Riserva 2020 are debuting on the market this year with a new label. The graphic motifs that have always made these wines standout visually have been updated in a minimalist key, more in tune with the striving for elegance and expressiveness that, season after season, inspires the wine estate.

*

Badia di Morrona, located in Terricciola, between Pisa and Volterra, has been owned by the Conti Gaslini Alberti family for almost a century. The heart of the estate is the ancient monastery, Badia di Morrona. The iconic grape is Sangiovese, planted in more than half of the vineyards, with the remainder in Vermentino, Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet. This viticultural wealth yields a well-integrated collection of wines, which boasts coveted crus such as VignaAlta and N’Antia, of Sangiovese and Bordeaux varieties respectively, and Taneto, the quintessence of Badia di Morrona’s Syrah. The Chianti denomination is well-represented of course, with I Sodi del Paretaio in both standard and Riserva versions. The wine portfolio is compellingly complemented by a welcoming hospitality programme: distributed throughout the estate are large, meticulously-restructured farm residences that are perfect departure points for leisurely exploring this still little-known world in Tuscany.

Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia:2021 vintage is on the market

Mediterranean elegance, balance and freshness. These are the hallmarks of Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia, and the 2021 vintage – on the market since March – is not an exception. A Cuvée based on Sauvignon Blanc with small percentages of Vermentino, Viogner and Verdicchio, Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia enriches the mosaic of the wines of the Tuscan coast with its own personal point of view.

Brilliant, delicately sunny and also deeply identifying with the terroir of the estate, Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia 2021 “is complex and seductive, sporting a riot of citrus notes, exotic fruits, white flowers, accompanied also by scents of cut grass and asparagus,” explains the winemaker Olga Fusari, “the taste closes in a long savory and mineral finish, which well represents the territory in which it was born.”

An exciting sip that tells the constant dialogue between territory, man and a climate that is always particularly benevolent here.  Indeed, 2021 began with a mild, rainy winter and a regular spring. Ideal conditions to easily cope with the hot and dry summer (especially in August) as it often is on the Bolgheri coast. Constant breezes from the sea and temperature fluctuations between day and night accompanied the perfect ripening of the grapes, which were harvested in the very early hours of the morning starting on August 18 for Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Viogner and Verdicchio and ending in the second week of September with Vermentino. After a slow and soft pressing of the bunches and an alcoholic fermentation of no more than 22°C, the wine went through a cellar process divided between wood, cement and steel, followed by aging in the bottle for about a year.

Today Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia 2021, tells with style and confidence an exemplary vintage and a coast that is a symbol in the world of harmony and beauty.

AXEL HEINZ to leave Bolgheri for France

Axel Heinz, Estate Director of Ornellaia and Masseto, announces that his time in Bolgheri will draw to a close in Summer 2023 when he will return to France.

Axel Heinz came to Bolgheri in 2005 and his professionalism and expertise have assisted the company, enabling vintage after vintage to communicate the impressive expressions of the terroir belonging to both estates.

For me, it has been an incredible honour to contribute to the success of Ornellaia and Masseto in these years and I’d like to thank Giovanni Geddes and the Frescobaldi family for this invaluable journey,” remarks Axel Heinz. “I have had the chance to manage these astonishing vineyards and two innovative wineries, which have allowed us to bottle the fruits from a terroir that expresses all the elegance of the Mediterranean. Now the moment has come to return to France. Bolgheri, Ornellaia and Masseto will always remain in my heart and Italy, after all these years, has become my third home, after Germany where I was born and France, where I have lived for most of my life.”

Axel Heinz has decided to take on new professional challenges in France after more than 17 years of working with Ornellaia and Masseto,” comments CEO Giovanni Geddes. “These years have been ones of massive development and success, also thanks to Axel’s professionalism and technical, communicative and human abilities, who I thank for the results achieved. The excellence of Ornellaia and Masseto comes from the benevolence of Nature and the passion and experience of an outstanding team.” The President of Marchesi Frescobaldi, Lamberto Frescobaldi, also thanksAxel Heinz and reassures that, “a strong team will remain at Ornellaia and Masseto, which has worked side by side with Axel for many productive years”.

Henry Borzi

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