Silvio Messana planted the variety in his vineyards at the beginning of his winemaking career and at the height of the Cabernet boom (in addition to an existing variety that his father had planted). He wanted to use it to spice up his Chianti, but quickly realised that it would undermine his own taste and his idea of what Chianti should be.
Instead of ripping it out or re-grafting it, however, he decided to make his very own version of Cabernet: a wine that would emphasise the little-known, elegant side of the variety on the one hand and put the terroir centre stage on the other.
The terroir is warm and characterised by clay. The grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed and crushed and then fermented and matured spontaneously in cement vats.
Cool, red, juicy fruit, pepper & spices. Full-bodied and vitalising, dynamic and without too much tannin, inviting, dense and full of energy, moves towards the palate as if on rails and without swerving, precise, elegant and long.
Data sheet
Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon & a little Petit Verdot
Vineyard: The vineyard is located in Cerbaia and is based on clay
Harvest: By hand
Fermentation: spontaneous fermentation | wild yeasts in cement
Ageing: 12 months in cement
Filtration: no
SO₂: < 50 mg
Alcohol content: 12% vol
Closure: Natural cork
Drinking temperature: 16 °
Content and price per bottle: 0.75/l (€ 29.87/l)
Perfect drinking maturity: from now - 2028
Bottle format: 0.75 litre
