Grape blend: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon
Aged: 36 months in oak casks and 12 months in the bottle
Alcohol content: 14.5% vol
Acidity: 5.03 g/l
Residual sugars: 0.98 g/l
In Tuscany, every Chianti has a story – some ancient, some recent, some, like this one, a family story. In fact, this wine is dedicated to Piero Lo Franco’s father; the Sant’Apollinare vineyards, in the Siena area, from which it comes, belonged to him. Today, his three grandsons Gianni, Antonio and Bandino are continuing the tradition. For this Chianti, only the best grapes from a terroir naturally suited to Sangiovese are selected. The 2020 season, which was very hot as usual, gave healthy fruit, full of extracts, polyphenols and juice (the bunches of Sangiovese weighed three times as much as the Cabernet ones!). Vinification was carried out in the traditional way, with 22 days of maceration and no addition of sulphites. The period of ageing, in Slavonian oak casks containing 10, 25 and 50 hl, lasted almost three years, followed by roughly 12 months in the bottle... and now the wine is ready to be uncorked.
Tasting – Colour: the shimmering carmine red doesn’t alter when, rotating in the glass, the wine shows its vivid transparency and that medium consistency which preannounces drinkability. The nose: the bouquet is immediately pleasing, nothing mars the fruit. Full and juicy, fleshy Marasca cherries. A succession of floral aromas, violets and herbs, closing with a fine minty note. In the mouth: it displays good fluidity and balance on the palate. The mouth is awash with sapid salivation, making each sip the joyful expression of typical Sangiovese characteristics. The wine’s body is sufficient to mitigate the dense tannins and alcohol content. It leaves a refreshing recollection of blood orange.
Wine and Food Pairing – At the table it prefers succulent dishes, such as beef tagliata with green pepper and scales of Parmigiano, grilled Tuscan sausages and Zolfini beans, chicken “alla cacciatora”, beef stewed in red wine with onions and carrots, radicchio au gratin with pecorino, lasagne with porcini mushrooms... or great classics, like pappardelle with meat ragu, and semi-mature cheeses.
Awards – Gold Medal at the Frankfurt International Trophy 2025, Frankfurt, Germany – Gold Medal at the AWC Vienna Spring Tasting 2025, Vienna, Austria – Gold Medal at the Wine System Organic Wine Award International Spring 2025, Frasdorf, Germany.