Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
The undisputed champions of Frascati wine, the Santarelli family, are almost singlehandedly responsible for transforming Frascati into a Titan of the volcanic wine category. Their Frascati DOCG is a deserved winner of the Tre Bicchierri award and is truly one of Italy’s great white wines. The first two hectares of the estate at Castel de Paolis were acquired in 1974 by Giulio Santarelli, and in 1977, Giulio started acquiring further plots of land neighbouring the existing vineyard. Little by little, the estate grew to its current size of just over 10 hectares, producing fresh, elegant and distinctive wines from this outstanding volcanic terroir.

THE VINTAGE:
The 2016 season was very dry, which kept the vineyards healthy. The summer saw consistently dry and warm weather, with some intermittent rains which enabled the grapes to achieve regular ripening and excellent maturity. The grapes were in almost perfect condition when picked, resulting in an excellent vintage.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
The vineyard is located on the volcanic hills South of Rome. The vineyards were completely replanted during 1990 to 1992, at a density of 5,500 vines per hectare to limit vigour, thus concentrating the flavours in the grapes. The 25-year-old vines yield 80 quintals (8,000kg) per hectare. The vines are planted at an elevation of 300 metres above sea level and are orientated towards the south-east to maximise sunlight exposure. The linear rows of vines are cordon spur pruned, which suits the warm, dry climate. The volcanic soils are layered with granular tuffs, which are rich in mineral elements, producing elegant and fresh wines with a distinctive character. This wine is a blend of Shiraz and Cesanese, the latter is considered by many to be one of Lazio’s most interesting grape varieties, producing deeply coloured wines with black fruit characters and delicate earthy overtones. The hand-harvested grapes are picked at optimal ripeness.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The fruit was tested from the beginning of August onwards to evaluate the acidity and sugar levels. The grapes were hand-picked when they had reached the optimum balance of these components and then kept cool. The bunches were 100% destemmed, and the juice and skins were transferred to temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for fermentation at 22°C. The skin remained in contact with the must for 12 days, extracting colour, flavour and the desired level of tannins. The Shiraz was aged in French oak barrels for one year, imparting subtle complexity, while the Cesanese was matured in stainless steel tanks to preserve the purity of fruit. The wines were carefully blended to strike the perfect balance.

OUR TASTING NOTE:
A silky smooth blend delivering vibrant notes of wild red berry fruit, layered with blackberry and delicious spicy notes. Harmoniously balanced, with sweet tannins, mineral tones and a hint of black pepper on the finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Cesanese 50%, Shiraz 50%.