Poliziano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy 2019

In 1961, Dino Carletti bought 22 hectares of land in the commune of Montepulciano, Tuscany with the desire to reconnect with his cultural heritage by cultivating the vine. Dino planted vineyards in the region and established Poliziano, named as an homage to humanist poet Angelo Ambrogini (1454-1494), known as “Il Poliziano“, who was born in Montepulciano. Dino’s son, Federico, who’d grown up tending the vines, pursued an agriculture degree in Florence in 1978 with the intent of carrying on the family tradition. In 1980 he entered the Poliziano estate with great enthusiasm and the desire to establish a new outlook in production for his estate. Fast forward to today and Federico has, not only continued to carry the torch as one of the most prestigious producers of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, but has grown the estate from 22 to 120 hectares, expanding into the region of Maremma, and also adding a Cortona DOC wine to the portfolio. An agronomist by definition, Federico prefers to think of himself as a farmer because he is convinced that great wines originate in the vineyard.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is the principal wine of Poliziano. Vino Nobile is a special, high-quality version of Chianti thanks to the Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese) grapes that characterize the Montepulciano area. Poliziano uses 85% Prugnolo Gentile in their blend, along with two traditional Chianti varieties, Colorino and Canaiolo, and a touch of Merlot. The vines age between 3 and 53 years,  grow upon clay and silt soils with fossils scattered throughout at an elevation between 300 and 420 meters. Upon harvest, the grapes and pressed and undergo malolactic fermentation in 6,000 to 8,000 liter French Oak vats. The wines are then aged in French oak ranging in size between 18 and 20 months before aging in the bottle between 6 and 8 months.

Aromatically this wine is full of ripe, chocolate-covered strawberries and sweet plums, with a touch of wet earth. On the palate, the wine is intensely rich with layers of vanilla, baking spice, and silken tannins.