The Winery is built on seven floors for a total of 4,400 square meters. The floor for the winemaking is 2,030 square meters and it’s underground. Only the large tasting rooms, kitchen, offices and suites are above the ground level for a maximum of 3 meters in height. The structure is in reinforced concrete and all finishes are stone, brick, plaster and natural painting. The eaves are made with copper and roofing in antique tiles.
The Winery was built on top of a hill overlooking a pristine valley. From the tower you cannot see industrial facilities, while are visible at least 8 of the 14 medieval castles still intact and inhabited.
The vineyards have a planting system of 2.30 x 0.9 meters, the poles are made of wood and the pickets of iron to allow an exchange of metal with the ground. We do not use herbicides, we work the land only by mechanical and manual work; We intervene promptly following each day the natural phases and each climate change, achieving a drastic reduction of inorganic chemical residues in grapes.
The harvest is made by hand and in the Vineyard takes place the first grape selection and cleaning of leaves. The grapes arrive intact, clean and free of foreign objects, ready for selection and without prefermentation given by crushing.
The fermentation tanks are all in stainless steel AISI 304, with a roof and hat in stainless steel AISI 316 equipped with two belts for temperature control: the upper is 1 m high and the lower 60 cm; the bottom is heated with an autonomous system. The tanks can be set to guarantee an internal temperature that can pause the fermentation even for a few days. This allows the best extraction of color and aromas without the need to use metabisulfites and extract the bitterness of the tannin present in the grape seeds.
We prefer to age our wines in large barrels that are in Slavonian oak but all built in Italy. The tonneaux come from France. Sagrantino has a strong polyphenols charge: transforming all the sugar into alcohol loses its softness while acquires a strong connotation of tannin, which is amplified depending on the wood of the containers.
The barriques are partly French, while the newer ones are in American oak because we believe this type of softer wood is perfect for the Sagrantino that is already highly tannic wine.
The entire bottling cycle is completed in one working day. We believe that the bottling stop and go in different times and days are critical moments that can introduce bacteria and harmful oxidation. They must be avoided.
The Sagrantino produced according to the DOCG is highly astringent and alcoholic. We have experienced over the years that a long glass aging has a positive effect on the end result, and is therefore a decisive step to achieve a pleasant wine, as well as complex and elegant.
