2016 Villa Saletta Giulia Rosso Toscane

The year 980 is the first year where the first sighting of wine making at Villa Saletta has been found. A whole history behind a winery, which is why they make their wines completely traditional. Since 2000, the winery has been owned by Guy and Julia Hands.

Only perfect berries are used, using small new barrels of Allier French oak with integral fermentation. Perlè vats are also used, which create a 'redox atmosphere'. This reduces the amount of oxygen to which the grapes are exposed, so that the first drops of wine develop slowly on the skin. This preserves freshness and aroma while extracting color and roundness for an elegant and supple soft tannin structure.

In all wines, the must undergoes a full malolactic fermentation in new French oak barrels. This converts the sharp acidity into smoother, more buttery flavors. They are one of the few Italian companies that does this full (and expensive) mallolactic fermentation in new oak and is a technique that is more associated with the (top) bordeaux wines.

The grapes for the Saletta Giulia, the estate's flagship wine, are carefully selected by hand and placed in small crates. They are then selected a second time on sorting tables in the Villa Saletta cellar before being stripped of the stems and lightly pressed. The fermentation takes place partly in new vats and partly in small stainless steel tanks at a temperature of 26 ° C. The period of skin contact lasts 20 days, during which gentle extraction takes place

The must is then placed in French oak barrels for full malolactic fermentation. The blend is aged for 20 months and then a further six months in the bottle before being released. This creates a wine with intensity and complexity, plus the ability to evolve for at least 10 years or more.

The nose opens with notes of spices and toasted oak with aromas of berry fruit, licorice and violets. The flavors are full and smooth with a sweet aftertaste of ripe red berries. This is an elegant blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc characterized by notes of dark chocolate and tobacco. The 20 months barrel aging lends the Saletta Giulia its unique structure and character.

93/100 Suckling