Donne Fittipaldi Bolgheri Rosso 2021

Region: Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

Grape Varieties: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc & 10% Petit Verdot

The Donne Fittipaldi winery is the dream of a mother and her four daughters, who in 2004 purchased vineyard land in the Tuscan  region of Bolgheri. For them the combination of coastal influence, well drained soils and sunny climate are the perfect place to grow grapes to make elegant and aromatically complex wines. Typical of this part of Tuscany the preferred grapes are actual Bordeaux varieties, which thrive in the gravelly soils.

For this project each of the four daughters brings her professional experience to the company, handling all of the aspects except the actual grape growing and winemaking. For these tasks they hired esteemed viticulturist Stefano Bartolomei and the oenologist Emiliano Falsini. The final component is their striking label designs by Giorgio Restelli, who perfectly captures the essence of this woman owned and managed winery.

The Bolgheri region has a very interesting history as prior to WWII it was considered too swampy for grape production. As a build up to the war Benito Mussolini brought in Dutch engineers to help drain the region so it could be used for grain production. Unfortunately much of the soils in the area are gravel, which while poor for grain production is fantastic for grape vines. After the war Mario Incisa della Rocchetta noticed how similar the soils are to Bordeaux and took vine cuttings from an old vineyard near Pisa. Instead of the more traditional Sangiovese he focused on the classic grapes of Bordeaux; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Today most of the producers in the Bolgheri region use the same mix with this example being 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot.

The reason this wine was selected is because it shows both fruit and wood tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot provide a lot of fruit tannins. Each variety was fermented separately then the blend was made and the wine aged in a mix of 2nd and 3rd pass French barriques for 12 months, which contributed some wood tannins. The result is a wine that shows warm notes of cooked cherry, blackcurrant preserves, cola syrup and tamari on the nose. The palate is pretty dense with forward tannins that put a frame around the ample fruit into the finish. Drink 2025-2030.