Description

Vineyards: A blend of 60% Montepulciano and 40% Sangiovese grapes, from estate vineyards in the Offida hills.

Winemaking Process: Fermented in stainless steel tanks for 10 days at 20°C, and then aged in large oak casks for 18 months, and then in barrels for a further six months. The wine was refined in bottles for six months before release.

In the Rosso Piceno DOC region, “Superiore” indicates the quality and degree of ripeness of the grapes at harvest, and the wine being one degree higher in alcohol. 15,000 bottles produced.

Alcohol Content: 13.8%

Tasting Note

Tasting Note: Bright ruby red colour, with deep aromas and flavours of dark plum and cherry, and hints of bittersweet chocolate. On the palate, the wine has good acidity and well-integrated tannins. Medium-bodied, good length, and an excellent finish.

Serving Temperature: Serve at 18°C, and ideally open the bottle about one hour before enjoying.

About the Grape

Montepulciano: While it is approved for growing in 20 of Italy's provinces, Montepulciano thrives in Abruzzo and Marches (where it is part of the Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno DO). It produces deep coloured wines, rich in tannins (and sometimes alcohol) and dark red fruit aromas and flavours. It can be made into inexpensive "house" wine stlyes all the way up to long-lived, collector wines.

Sangiovese: Italy's more planted red-wine grape and responsible for producing one of Italy's best DOCG wine -- Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. It is the main grape behind the Tuscany's Chianti DOCG and Morellino di Scansano DOC, and can be found in various forms and blends in neighbouring Marche (Rosso Conero DOC and Rosso Piceno DOC), Umbria, and Emilia-Romagna.

The literal translation of Sangiovese is "blood of Jove" which suggests very ancient origins, but it is generally accepted to trace back to the Etruscans who enhabited northern Italy from about the 8th century BCE until they were absorbed by the Romans Empire.

For the sake of simplicity, Sangiovese was commonly thought to come in two sizes -- small (piccolo), as in the Chianti version of the grape, and large (grosso), as in the Montalcino version of the grape -- but in fact there actually dozens of different clones/versions of the grape, and size, in reality, has no impact on the quality of the wine anyway. Sangiovese also has many synonyms including Brunello, Morellino, and Prugnolo Gentile.

Soils, yield, altitude, aspect, and location seem to have more impact on quality and taste of the Sangiovese wine. The stricter DOCG rules of Chianti and Brunello can produce spectacularly elegant wines, with deep, earthy, dark fruit aromas and flavours, fine tannins, and balancing acidity -- the best of which can age for decades. But it can also produce lively young, easy-drinking wines that are a delight to have over a plate of pasta or a pizza. One of our favouriate grapes, probably because of this versatility.

San Giovanni

Silvano Di Lorenzo established Azienda Agricola San Giovanni, and produced its first wines in 1990. The vineyards are located in Offida, in the Marches region of central Italy, 350 metres above the Adriatic Sea. This is an area known for producing wines of great character, concentration, and depth of flavour.

Silvano’s son, Gianni, now leads the estate, assisted by cantina enologist Elso Pica (involved in the 2005 blend of Leo Guelfus) and consulting enologist Giovanni Basso. There are 30 hectares under vine, and most of the land is devoted to red wine grapes. A combination of traditional and modern winemaking techniques are employed to pay respect to the land and in recognition of market needs.

Address:
Azienda Agricola San Giovanni
Contrada Ciafone
41 - 63035 Offida AP, Italy

Phone number: +390736889032

Email: info@vinisangiovanni.it

Website: http://www.vinisangiovanni.it

Visits: Arranged in advance.