Producer | Fattoria di Petroio |
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Subregion | Chianti Gran Selezione |
Varietal | Sangiovese |
Vintage | 2015 |
Sku | 12018059 |
Size | 750ml |
This is a 100% Sangiovese, fermented for 15 days, with 4 months in tonneaux with bâtonnage. It is aged 12 months in tonneaux and 12 months in the 22,50hl “Pamela 50” barrel. Intense nose of red ripe fruits: cherries, black cherries and currants. A sweet note brings back to spices and flavors of cooked fruits, with a more herbaceous and minty background. Great depth and very complex, it will need a few years to express its full potential and structure. Full, velvety palate. The young and bright tannins will mellow after longer aging. Bottled June 2018.
In Diana’s own words: “in 2013 the Consorzio del Chianti Classico introduced a new type of wine: the Gran Selezione. They aimed to elevate the production and exalt Sangiovese from Chianti Classico. The debate was very animated and I thought the rules were not precise enough to truly express and guarantee a totally “Grand” product. At Petroio all these rules were already employed for our Riserva, which was the true punta di diamante (diamond tip) of our cuvées. I decided that I would not produce the Gran Selezione until I had something truly different to offer.
When the first day of harvest 2015 arrived, we were all blown away by how beautiful the ripe healthy grapes were. After a few tough vintages, we had a wonderful growing season, with just the right amount of sun, warmth, and rain to make the vineyards thrive. My team and I stood around our sorting table, looking at the grapes, and failing to find anything to throw away. Knowing how picky we all are, it was a real miracle. Every so often that first morning, one of us would pick up a grape and show it off to the others: “look at this one!” and “did you see this one??” and “have you ever seen anything like this?”.
That is when the idea hit. We decided we would pick the absolutely best grapes the next morning. We wanted to do a single barrel of the five star, belli belli belli belli belli grapes. I woke up the next morning at 6am, full of excitement and energy, with the typical broken back of harvest day two.
We spent the morning in the Vigna del Viale vineyard, 100% Sangiovese planted in 2008. We brought back about 15 bins (3000kgs) of grapes to the cellar that we crushed and put in a 40hl barrel. Spontaneous fermentation happened and we kept the must on the skins for 20 days. As we ran around the cellar like crazy people in one of the most abundant and bountiful harvests we can remember, we treated the barrel as our golden child. In December, we moved the wine to our 22.5hl “Pamela” barrel (named after my mother), and left it to age for almost 30 months. During that long period, we constantly watched over our special wine.
We named the wine Poggio ai Grilli, in honor of a historic vineyard at the heart of our winery, with 60 year-old vines we were in the process of replanting via massal selection.
The 2015 Fattoria di Petroio Poggio ai Grilli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione went on to score a 95 in Wine Enthusiast, a 97 in Decanter and a Platinum Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards.
"Fragrant purple flowers, ripe plum, new leather and baking spice are some of the aromas you'll find on this inviting red. Juicy and savory, the medium-bodied palate delivers succulent Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry, cinnamon and licorice alongside taut, fine-grained tannins that give it a velvety feel. Enjoy through 2025." — Kerin O’Keefe