La Spinetta 'Il Nero Di Casanova' Sangiovese Terre di Pisa 2016

Loads of joy by the glass. Simple, vibrant, brightly flavoured, kissed with powdery tannins, sweet fruited core and a lash of orange-y acidity to close. It’s sangiovese 101 but modern, vibrant and made for quaffability. It’s joyous stuff, not overly cluttered with any one element, and suggestive of best drinking in youth. Dive in.

100% Sangiovese mostly from the Casanova vineyard, with around 20% sourced from the Sezzana site. The soils are calcareous with ocean sediments. The vines have an average age of 18 years and grow on a south-facing slope at an elevation of 250m. Sustainably farmed with no use of pesticides or herbicides. This undergoes alcoholic fermentation for 9-10 days in temperature-controlled rotofermenters. It then goes through malolactic fermentation in medium-toast French oak barrels, where it's matured for nine months. It's transferred to stainless steel vats for two months before bottling, then aged in bottle for another six months before release. It's an intense ruby red, with lots of candied orange, dark fruit and dried flowers on the nose. It's full-bodied with soft, silky tannins and a chewy finish. Funky and intense, with lots of berry and bitter chocolate characters, elegant but with delicious richness.