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Carmignano DOCG: history, stories, and sale! - Enoteca Alessi

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Hello everyone!

Welcome to another encounter with Enoteca Alessi.
Today I want to talk to you about Carmignano, both as a wine and as an area in Tuscany.

The Carmignano terroir

Carmignano is the name of a little village near Florence, famous for its ancient wine production and culinary history which began with the Etruscan settlement as with many other areas of Tuscany.

The grape that is most widely cultivated in Tuscany is SanGiovese.
There are different types and it is for this that with the help of the soil, the micro-climates and, to use a word borrowed from the French, terroir, we have a diverse variety of wines in Tuscany.

Carmignano wine, with its denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin, goes back to the 16th century when Caterina de Medici married Henry II, King of France.

And here I allow myself a little parenthesis about how Caterina travels to meet her future husband in three caravels full of novelties for the French, a chef, a sommelier, pastry chefs, tableware, food among which were artichokes, unknown to the French, as well as forks and underwear. But this would be too too long story.

So, let us get back to Carmignano wine…

The most famous wines in France is and were Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Caterina was so amazed by these wines that she decided to send some of them to her family in Tuscany. These wines were so appreciated also by the rest of the family that they grew the new French grapes on their lands. Since then, Carmignano wine has been produced with Sangiovese as the main grape, as well as Cabernet and Merlot.

Today, I would like to introduce 3 wineries, in alphabetical order:

The first is Bacchereto, with its “carmignano terre a mano 2015” produced with sangiovese 75%, canaiolo nero 10% and cabernet sauvignon 15%

Rossella Bencini the owner, with her immense passion is always able to hit the target! her 2015 vintage il iterally superb! Aged in a big barrel of 350 liters, called tonneaux, for approximately 18 months; but in reality this wine leaves from the winery when Nature decides!

…and now I explain you why ….

The wine of this winery is a biodynamic made with great skill. Here follow the phases of the moon, from pruning to all practical mattersconcerning the vines. No sulfates, other than those that develope naturally during fermentation.
it’s a red that’s able to be elegantly full bodied.

The second is Piaggia, with Il Sasso 2017

This year, this winery has been awarded of the best red wine in Italy for their Riserva 2016 by the prestigious magazine Gambero Rosso.... Silvia Vannucci is the owner, together with her dad, Mauro.      The precision & attention,  of the cellar and vineyards 

and the whole process of ageing, show such elegance, great class, fineness and great body of their wines.  Bravi!

The wine was produced with a long fermentation with natural yeasts  that better control the development of these primary perfumes. Successively, ageing takes places in oak barriques for at least fifteen months.

The third winery is fabrizio Pratesi vineyards with Carmignano Pratesi 2017

A wine produced great skill by Fabrizio Pratesi. 70% SanGiovese,  20% Cabernet, 10% Merlot. Hand picked, fermentation in Inox at controlled temperature, followed by ageing in 235 lt oak barrels for at least 12 months. Pronounced tannins, but silky. Nuances of spices and fruit that roll in the mouth.

   These three wines are destined for longevity, but the harvests I am presenting to you can also be enjoyed now.

   My advice is, as you will have four bottles from each of the wineries, to open them one at a time, at a distance in time, so you can enjoy every moment of the life of your wine.

   A bit like the life of a handsome man. Handsome at 20, and even at 30, and then at 40, and then at 50, very interesting and deep, but always sexy!

Carmignano DOCG Wine Offer

4 BOTTLES OF BACCHERETO WINERY - TERRE A MANO 2015
4 BOTTLES OF PIAGGIA WINERY - IL SASSO 2017
4 BOTTLES OF FABRIZIO PRATESI WINERY - PRATESI CARMIGNANO 2017
PRICE (12 BOTTLES, SHIPPING, INSURANCE):
EUROPE: €510 €560
USA: €525
JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND: €585

We will meet on zoom on September to uncork the bottles together!