Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva Fontaleoni 2020

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the passion of the Troiani family, at the helm of the Fontaleoni winery: always engaged in farming and animal husbandry, they later specialized in viticulture, devoting themselves to the varieties symbolic of a historical and poetic territory.

The Vernaccia with which the Fontaleoni winery makes its Riserva comes from the relatively young vineyards that extend on the soft slopes in the territory north of San Gimignano, at an elevation around 180 meters above sea level and facing the valley of the Elsa River while a small extension is instead located just below the walls of the town. The soils are a true heritage of complexity and result in the peculiar minerality of this white wine: the movement of soils of volcanic and marine origin has given rise to the formation of tuffaceous ridges characterized by a good presence of limestone, with alternating layers of clay now deeper, now more superficial and capable of favouring the rise of the water table. The vines are raised according to organic farming principles and are harvested by hand. In the winery, the grapes are gently pressed and sent to alcoholic fermentation in steel tanks at a controlled temperature below 20°C. After racking, 10 percent of the mass undergoes maturation in small wood for about 6 months, then reassembled to the wine on fine lees: a short rest in steel precedes clarification and bottling, with a long cellar ageing of 24 months.

Fontaleoni's Vernaccia Riserva shows a bright golden-yellow colour. The nose is immediately expressed on floral tones, then opens broadly on balsamic menthol and citrus notes, with a final bitterish nuance from the walnut husk and a touch of saffron. A sip of energetic progression, complex and full-bodied, it finds expression of excellent finesse in the flurry of freshness and the mineral extension that seems inexhaustible. An excellent bottle for roasted vegetables and aged cheeses with local cured meats.