Our tasting impressions
Innocenti's humble Rosso is super even in lesser vintages. So no surprise that in 2016, it is a tour de force. It has an abundance of pure, red fruit. There is plenty of structure, which has enabled this Rosso to continually evolve and improve Keep in mind, this is his “basic” Rosso that he’s already bottle-aged for years. No doubt many fine Tuscan winemakers would be thrilled if they could make a classified Vino Nobile this good. In fact, we once tasted this Rosso alongside the Riserva of a highly regarded producer. The results were like David and Goliath. Talk about punching above your weight class! You need to taste it to believe it.
About this wine
Innocenti’s Rosso is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo from a 6ha vineyard at abour 350M. It was planted in Montepulciano planted in 2014 in sandy soil with southwest exposure.
They perform double cluster thinning (green harvest) before a manual harvest. Any grapes that are not to their standards are sold. The Sangiovese is destemmed (the tannins are too green) then vinified with the Canaiolo.
Fermentation is with natural yeasts and maceration on the skins for 8-10 days in steel tanks. They perform délestage (draining the wine off the must and then gently pumping it back over. The caps are punched down. Aging is in a mix of French and Amercan oak barrels ranging in volume from 5 to 20hl. It is often released much later than even other producers' Vino Nobile.
About the grape blend
Sangiovese is the most planted grape in Italy and is the dominant grape throughout the central part of the country. There are many variants and even different names like Prugnolo Gentile, Brunello, Sangioveto and Morellino.
The grapes are dark and thick-skinned, slow-ripening, acidic and tannic. Like Pinot Noir, Sangiovese is heavily influenced by its terroir and similarly can be quite transparent in its differences from place to place.
Canaiolo adds with softness and imparts graceful herbal flavors.
About the vintage
2016 is a modern day classic vintage in Tuscany. A near perfect growing season that started slowly, warmed up nicely through the summer, and ended with a classic autumn. Ample warm days and cool nights produced a slightly reduced crop of wines that combine the richness of low-yields with the near perfect balance of mature tannins and bright acidity.
On your table
This is a great pasta/pizza wine that marries well with bright, not overly sweet red sauces. Serve at cellar temperature.
Vittorio Innocenti, a former philosophy teacher, started producing wine from his family's vineyards with the 1978 vintage from his 13th century cellar in Montefollonico. There are 32 hectares of vines in Montepulciano and Montefollonico but only 12 are planted with vineyards of up to 80 years old. The vista views from the back patio are incredible.
Today, Vittorio's son Tommaso and his partner Vincenza (aka Nancy) handle most of the work. But Vittorio is the keeper of the intellectual capital for all seven wines - in particular both versions of Vin Santo. In total, they produce about 35,000 bottles annually.
The Innocentis are a gracious, wonderful family. The Guru has known them longer than any other wine producer. He admires their intense commitment to producing the highest quality wines - taking as much pride in their most modest offering as they do in their top bottling.
VDLT is the only North American source for these extraordinary wines that are released much later than most top estates in the appellation. The Vino Nobile, Riserva and Acerone are capable of long and magnificent aging. In the photo to the right, we enjoyed a 1985, 1988 and 1993 at a recent lunch. Their freshness and vibrancy belied their ages.
