Wine: Fuligni: Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG

Tuscany

Tuscany continues to charm and enchant the world over while books and films are forever trying to capture the beauty and mystic of the region. With its rich history, art, music, food and wine, there is very little to disappoint. Chianti is easily the most well known of Italian wines while Brunello is considered one of the most prestigious. Yet, the wines of Tuscany have not always been recognized for quality and have just recently experienced a renaissance,
after years of being focused on quantity. The initial movement developed in Chianti in the early 1970’s has become a region wide effort that has brought forth serious focus on clonal selection, vineyard management, and winery technologies, allowing a progression in quality unmatched anywhere in the country. The growing success, while focused on the Sangiovese based wines of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and most recently, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano,
has spread to the entire region incorporating areas not understood even 30 years ago for their potential.
This phenomena of rapidly improving quality spread to incorporate wines that while not DOC were still considered of superior quality. The lack of an official status could not prevent the unofficial designation “Super Tuscan” from becoming part of the vernacular. As awareness increased, many of these wines achieved their own IGT or DOC status. Ironically, it is often misunderstood that Cabernet and Chardonnay have a long history within Tuscany and were
not introduced to satisfy international demand. Cabernet has been grown for over 250 years and while maybe not known by the Romans it certainly isn’t a newcomer to the region!
(Chardonnay dates back easily 150 years).
Roughly 70% of the production is red but one white wine holds its own in quality. The DOCG for Vernaccia di San Gimagnano was the 1st awarded to ANY wine in Italy. A historical grape documented in the 1200’s, the wines today provide the perfect counterpart to the nobile
reds of Tuscany.

Fuligni

Founded in 1923 round a Medici villa and a country convent of the Renaissance, the Fuligni estate is co-owned by Roberto Guerrini Fuligni and his aunt, Maria Flora Fuligni. Roberto himself styles the wines with oenologist Paolo Vagaggini, and agronomist Federico Ricci is in charge of vineyard management.
This well orchestrated team is responsible for a classic range of Montalcino reds – Rosso, Brunello, Super Tuscan – whose yearly total goes from an average 3,700 to 4,100 cases.
All consistently judged among Tuscany’s finest, they are aged in the restored convent, which was transformed into barrique cellar, tasting rooms and guest quarters. The former convent’s cool, cloistered tranquillity supplies ideal conditions for their élevage.
Fuligni covers a total 100 hectares (247 acres), of which approximately 25 acres (10 hectares) under vine. Most of these are devoted to Montalcino’s own Sangiovese; the rest is planted with Merlot, which complements the Brunello grape in the SJ blend. The older vineyards are 350 to 440 meters above sea level, mainly southeasterly exposed on stony/clayey, hillside “galestro” marls. The soil is low in organic components – therefore conducive to minuscule yields. Crops are further cut back by the vines’ age (12 to 30-plus years), their density, severe pruning and green harvest. The recently added vineyards are even more densely planted, 10 to 12 years old and at a slightly lower altitude of 300 meters, on predominantly clayey terrain better suited to Merlot. The grapes are vinified separately according to cru, in a classically inspired international style characterized by a strong backbone of acidity and smooth, polished tannins.

Solely from the finest years. Élevage is also in French and Slavonian oak, for an additional year (totalling 4 yrs. in barrel and tonneaux).
After over a year of bottle age, it shows remarkable elegance and complexity, and a beautiful bouquet of marasca cherries, tobacco and mint, with a lovely, long finish.

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