CENIPRIMO 2016

CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG GRAN SELEZIONE

GRAPE VARIETY

100% Sangiovese

HARVEST AND WINEMAKING

Harvesting and selection of the best grapes in the vineyard by hand. Transport to the winery in 200- kg bins. The grapes are destemmed and transferred by gravity into 100-hl stainless steel open tanks and then inoculated with selected yeasts. Fermentation temperature 24-27°C with daily punching. Duration of fermentation and maceration on the skins about 14-16 days.

AGEING

18 months in 500-litre tonneaus of which 30% new and 70% second passage.

BOTTLING

December 19, 2018.

Vintage Awards
Information

Intense on the nose, fresh fruit and violets, good structure and volume. Elegant and well-developed tannic content, balsamic notes. Yet again a pure Sangiovese that reveals all the magnificent qualities of this grape. This is further exalted by the small size of the vineyard whose name it bears, which lies in the great valley of the Arbia River, in the southern part of the property. CeniPrimo is located on an Ancient Fluvial Terrace geological formation. The smallest of the three vineyards, only 6 hectares in all, it lies at 300 meters above sea level and has a southwestern exposure. Grapes are handpicked and then selected: only perfect clusters become CeniPrimo.

Growing Season

The autumn and winter were very mild this year, with below-freezing temperatures only in part of January. It was rainy, about 440 mm. In the spring, temperatures were average, with the end of May and early June hot but humid. This diminished the fruit set causing a thinning effect in the clusters that was good for the Sangiovese. Two hailstorms at the end of May also led to loss of flowers, thus reducing per-plant growth. Summer was hot and dry. End-July and Mid-August rains gave some relief to the plants, helping them during the period of veraison.
Harvest began in early September, with temperatures mid-to-high for that period of the year during the day and a drop of as much as 10-15°C at nights, favoring the accumulation of phenolic compounds.

Tasting Notes

A beautiful nose with tangerine peel, strawberries, rose petals, boysenberries, cranberries, red plums, red cherries and dark spices. Very grainy and refined on the palate with a real kick from the orange-rind undertones that permeate the entire palate. Tiptoes like a tightrope walker between power and finesse and executes its mission nearly to perfection. (credits: JamesSuckling.com 2019)

Press Highlights