Fonterenza ‘Alberello’ Toscana Rosso 2021

$76.00

Location: Italy, Tuscany

Winemaker: Margherita and Francesca Padovani

Grapes: Sangiovese

Soil: Clay, galestro, schist

Winemaking: Organic & biodynamic farming. Hand harvest. Grapes are destemmed and fermentedwith native yeasts in steel tank with a 15-20-day maceration. The Alberello gets less barrel age than the regular Rosso: the aging is a total of 20 months, with most of that in steel tank followed by a few months in Slavonian oak botti. 1/2 grams of S02 per hectoliter are added after malolactic fermentation before being racked to wood for aging.

2015 was the first vintage in which Fonterenza singled out this parcel from its original Rosso di Montalcino bottling. It comes from the Vigna Alberello which are trained in, surprise, alberello since 2005. The yields are considerably lower and as they were already vinifying it individually, began to notice a unique character.

From the Importer Louis/Dressner: Founded by twin sisters Margherita and Francesca Padovani in 1997, Fonterenza is a biodynamically farmed estate spread over the commune of Montalcino. Though the twins grew up in Milan, the farm where they currently reside has been in the family since the 1970's. Viticulture, however, does not run in the Padovani family; in fact, there were no vines whatsoever on the property until Margherita planted the first plots in 1999.

Francesca quickly joined her sister on the project, and subsequent plantings took place in 2002 and 2005 over four hectaresof vines, with 3.5 hectares planted in Sangiovese and the rest in Cabernet Sauvignon (regrafted to Sangiovese in 2012). From the beginning, Margherita and Francesca agreed not to use chemicals in their vineyard practices, which quickly led to an interest in biodynamic viticulture and, a few years later, minimal intervention winemaking. 

The estate now consists of three plotstotaling 4.2 hectares: Vigna del Bosco (2h), Vigna della Strada (1.7h) and Vigna Alberello (0.5h). The first two were planted in 1999 and the third in 2005. While all the vineyards are gorgeous, Vigna del Bosco is particularly stunning; one must walk or drive down a long beautiful path to arrive to a hill completely surrounded by woods. 

Four wines are produced from the estate. A rosé is made from the most vigorous vines of the three vineyards. The Rosso di Montalcino is sourced from Vigna del Bosco and Vigna del Strada. The newer "Alberello Rosso" comes from Vigna Alberello and distinguishes itself with soil and exposition variations along with being trained in gobelet versus guyot, resulting in much lower yields and higher concentration. Finally, the estate's Brunellocomes exclusively from Vigna del Bosco, a site the sisters consider of exceptional quality akin to a cru.   

For years the sisters have been buying fruit from the nearby Mount Amiata, an up-and-coming terroir producing crystaline, fresh wines one doesn't always expect or find in Tuscany. Past wines have included a skin contact white named "Biancospino", made from Malvasia, Trebbiano and Procanico, another macerated white called "Le Ragazze" that came into production in 2018 and part of their fruit for "Pettirosso", a wine "inspired by our friendship with French vignerons and their culture of thirst-quenching wines, conceived to satisfy the needs of everyday drinking and convivial sharing." In 2022, Francesca was able to purchase a hectare on Amiata of vines planted in 1920 on galestro soils. Trained in alberello and co-planted in red and white, sadly most vines had to be ripped up to make way for new plantations. It's a truly great plot with amazing potential.

Margherita and Francesca's constant and steady evolution have made Fonterenza one of the most exciting estates for us to follow in the past few years. Every vintagejust keeps getting better and better.

Location: Italy, Tuscany

Winemaker: Margherita and Francesca Padovani

Grapes: Sangiovese

Soil: Clay, galestro, schist

Winemaking: Organic & biodynamic farming. Hand harvest. Grapes are destemmed and fermentedwith native yeasts in steel tank with a 15-20-day maceration. The Alberello gets less barrel age than the regular Rosso: the aging is a total of 20 months, with most of that in steel tank followed by a few months in Slavonian oak botti. 1/2 grams of S02 per hectoliter are added after malolactic fermentation before being racked to wood for aging.

2015 was the first vintage in which Fonterenza singled out this parcel from its original Rosso di Montalcino bottling. It comes from the Vigna Alberello which are trained in, surprise, alberello since 2005. The yields are considerably lower and as they were already vinifying it individually, began to notice a unique character.

From the Importer Louis/Dressner: Founded by twin sisters Margherita and Francesca Padovani in 1997, Fonterenza is a biodynamically farmed estate spread over the commune of Montalcino. Though the twins grew up in Milan, the farm where they currently reside has been in the family since the 1970's. Viticulture, however, does not run in the Padovani family; in fact, there were no vines whatsoever on the property until Margherita planted the first plots in 1999.

Francesca quickly joined her sister on the project, and subsequent plantings took place in 2002 and 2005 over four hectaresof vines, with 3.5 hectares planted in Sangiovese and the rest in Cabernet Sauvignon (regrafted to Sangiovese in 2012). From the beginning, Margherita and Francesca agreed not to use chemicals in their vineyard practices, which quickly led to an interest in biodynamic viticulture and, a few years later, minimal intervention winemaking. 

The estate now consists of three plotstotaling 4.2 hectares: Vigna del Bosco (2h), Vigna della Strada (1.7h) and Vigna Alberello (0.5h). The first two were planted in 1999 and the third in 2005. While all the vineyards are gorgeous, Vigna del Bosco is particularly stunning; one must walk or drive down a long beautiful path to arrive to a hill completely surrounded by woods. 

Four wines are produced from the estate. A rosé is made from the most vigorous vines of the three vineyards. The Rosso di Montalcino is sourced from Vigna del Bosco and Vigna del Strada. The newer "Alberello Rosso" comes from Vigna Alberello and distinguishes itself with soil and exposition variations along with being trained in gobelet versus guyot, resulting in much lower yields and higher concentration. Finally, the estate's Brunellocomes exclusively from Vigna del Bosco, a site the sisters consider of exceptional quality akin to a cru.   

For years the sisters have been buying fruit from the nearby Mount Amiata, an up-and-coming terroir producing crystaline, fresh wines one doesn't always expect or find in Tuscany. Past wines have included a skin contact white named "Biancospino", made from Malvasia, Trebbiano and Procanico, another macerated white called "Le Ragazze" that came into production in 2018 and part of their fruit for "Pettirosso", a wine "inspired by our friendship with French vignerons and their culture of thirst-quenching wines, conceived to satisfy the needs of everyday drinking and convivial sharing." In 2022, Francesca was able to purchase a hectare on Amiata of vines planted in 1920 on galestro soils. Trained in alberello and co-planted in red and white, sadly most vines had to be ripped up to make way for new plantations. It's a truly great plot with amazing potential.

Margherita and Francesca's constant and steady evolution have made Fonterenza one of the most exciting estates for us to follow in the past few years. Every vintagejust keeps getting better and better.