ROSSO SANSONINA I.G.T.

Densely planted to Merlot, the Sansonina vineyard originates from a selection of French clones that produce a structured wine that responds very well to long periods of ageing.
An important, perhaps decisive factor is the fruit – loose bunches of small grapes – that can ripen at length without deteriorating and have a greater concentration of solids than juice as the skins contain anthocyanins, tannins and phenolic substances.
Merlot has adapted remarkably well to the zone’s microclimate and earth. The firm, clayey base guarantees a very richly extracted wine that does not lose density or oxidize as it matures. The result is a wine of great character and personality.
Meticulous vineyard management ensures broad leaf coverage and perfect, complete phenolic maturation, not just sugar ripeness. The real secret of this zone’s success lies in its ability to produce a high concentration of phenolic substances through slow, steady ripening without increasing the sugar content through dehydration, as often happens in hot zones.
Taking care not to damage them, the harvested grapes are placed in cases, destemmed, crushed and left to ferment in wooden vats where the fermentation process can be temperature-controlled.
The use of wood in the fermentation process ensures greater phenolic stability (anthocyanins, etc.) through the transfer and polymerisation of the tannins.
Long macerations that alternating temperature, punching-down and délestage process ensure that every last phenolic substance is extracted from the skins and transferred to the wine. To preserve the varietal aromas of this noble grape type as far as possible, it undergoes several days of cold maceration at a temperature of 5-7° before the alcoholic fermentation process.
Following alcoholic fermentation and further maceration on the skins, the new wine sojourns in new barriques made from several types of French wood toasted to varying degrees, preferably over a slow, low flame, so as to avoid imbuing the wine with vulgar notes of charred oak.
This is the phase in which the wine develops the most in its quest for elegance and refined aromas sustained by firm backbone and sweet tannins. Continuous monitoring of the wine in this phase is critical, through regular tasting and testing of oxygen levels, the catalyst for most of the wine’s polymerization reactions. After barrique-conditioning, the wine is bottled.

SANSONINA 1997
The firs vintage obtained from a few rows of old Merlot vines: harvesting began on 21 October, 1997; beyond the date there is little to be add about a vintage that is considered historic in terms of climate and grape condition and quality.
The old vineyard’s 1.500 plants produced 36 hl. of wine.
The wine was aged for several months in small barrels but when the time came for bottling – barrels but when the time came for bottling – surprise, surprise – it needed more time in the barrel. The result was the Sansonina magnum.

Specifications:
Colors: Very deep, bright ruby red;
Nose: Full, close-knit, rich, complex, warm and fruity with notes of ripe red berry fruit, plum, cherry and blueberry jam, cocoa powder and tastiness with faint hints of balsam and a barely discernible nuance of grass;
Palate: Generous, warm and full-bodied yet at the same time very elegant, round, soft and caressing with extraordinary aromatic length.