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Santa Maria Valverde "Savine Cabernet Sauvignon" IGT 2015
Red Wine
Italian dry red wine from Valpolicella
James Suckling 94 points
Annual production of 4,000 bottles
關於此酒 :
About this wine :
Savine Cabernet Sauvignon can safely be called a single vineyard wine. There is only 0.5 hectares planted on this terrace. The vineyards are located in the hills outside the town of Marano in Valpolicella. Situated in the central-north of the Valpolicella Classico area, one of the very best regions in this appellation. Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, which was planted by Nicola's father in the 1980s when it was fashionable to replace everything with Cabernet. When Nicola took over the winery, he never used the grapes himself, but resold them. Until he did on a trip to California, drank Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. It sparked his ambition, and he decided to use his old vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is made in a traditional style - yet entirely his own. All harvested by hand in late October, from vineyards located at around 500 meters above sea level. Subsequently, they are transported to the winery in crates (7 kg). The grapes are laid out for natural drying (appassimento) for a few days. The destemmed grapes are gently pressed, and the juice is brought to fermentation in oak barrels for 20 days at a controlled temperature, with daily pump-overs. Aged in 5 hl oak barrels.
The wine has a ruby red color with violet hues, intense and persistent. The aroma is complex, initially fruity (cherries, blackcurrants), then spicy and floral (pepper, tobacco, violet, mint) with hints of wood. The taste is rich, full-bodied, and well-balanced, with flavors of ripe cherries and crisp notes of spices. Soft in the mouth, well-supported by velvety tannins and good freshness. The acidity is linked to the minerality of the cru and altitude. The palate envelops the alcohol and alternates with freshness and pleasant taste. Long finish. The wine has a very pleasant grape flavor - a characteristic of Nicolas. Pairs well with spicy soups, stews, many pasta dishes, and is perfect for both red and white meats as well as game. Ideal in combination with mature and hard cheeses, blue cheese, and can also accompany sweet flavors such as chocolate.
James Suckling - "Lots of nutty and spicy character to the blackcurrants on the nose. Almost meaty. Medium- to full-bodied with brighter black fruit, firm but well-integrated tannins and a long, tight finish with an enduring, clear bead of clean fruit. Very fresh and young feel to this. Solid as a rock. Says 16.5 % vol on the label, but that’s been handled nicely. You can drink it now or put it down for a long time."
關於 TENUTA SANTA MARIA VALVERDE 酒莊 :
About TENUTA SANTA MARIA VALVERDE :
Located in the heart of the Classico area of the Valpolicella region, in the province of Verona, Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde is a small boutique winery with a long history in the region where Nicola Campagnola’s, the owner and winemaker, family began to cultivate vine in the 1800s.
Although the estate owns 13 hectares of vines, it only vinifies the equivalent of 1 hectare every year for a total production of 10,000 bottles. A strong believer in the French cru system of dividing vineyard sites, the estate opted to divide its lands in parcels. Each year, the estate singles out the specific vineyard sites which yield the highest quality grapes used to produce its wines. The remaining grapes are sold to neighbouring wineries and co-ops. All the bottles are individually numbered to guarantee the traceability of the vineyard and the product for the hygienic-sanitary guarantee of the wines and the exclusivity of the product. The goal is to produce red wines deeply anchored to the territory and a unique and unrepeatable Amarone of excellence for each vintage.
The estate was one of the first to have fruttai - rooms dedicated to the drying of grapes in the appassimento method. This grape drying technique unchanged since Roman times. Compared to other wineries which opt for the minimum air drying required by the DOCG (three months), Santa Maria Valverde dries their grapes for five to six months. Moreover, its Amarone spends six-years aging in barrel and an extra year in bottle before being released. Quality is essential at the estate and is never compromised. The drying of the grapes for Amarone takes place in a natural stone chamber, present in the cellar. This dependence on the natural conditions of the places, meteorological-atmospheric conditions and the altitude of the area, are of primary importance in giving a wine an identity that can be characteristic year after year. Aging takes place in French oak barrels, the so-called "tonneaux".
Located at the highest elevation in the Classico appellation, Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde’s wines are not the big jammy style that has become the norm in the Valpolicella. Rather, they are a window into the past: a demonstration of how wines of the Valpolicella used to be made before modern winemaking swept in.
Today, the estate is run by Nicola Campagnola, vineyard manager and winemaker, and his wife Ilaria Nidini who is in charge of the commercial component. Nicola is a true believer in the protection of the environment and minimal human impact on nature. As of 2018, the estate carries organic certification. A boutique winery from the Valpolicella that makes the big guys pale in comparison when it comes to quality.
