2022 Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Tradizionale

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 91 points

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  9/22/2023 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  Exactly as the name of the wine says, this is a very "traditional" Vernaccia di San Gimignano. After the harvest the organically farmed Vernaccia grapes are crushed but not pressed immediately. In the past, before the emergence of fresh and fruity white wines, the wines would start to ferment on the skins, yielding a rustic amber wine. However, for this wine the skins are kept in contact with the must for more than a week, lending the wine breadth, richness and aromatic complexity, but the must is kept from fermenting by temperature control. Only after the wine is pressed off the skins into glass-lined concrete tanks, it is allowed to ferment spontaneously. The wine is aged for approximately a year on the lees in concrete tanks. Annual production 25,000 bottles. 13% alcohol.
  
  Deep, luminous lemon-yellow color. The nose feels fragrant, youthful and subtly reductive with aromas of ripe yellow fruits, some stony mineral tones, a little bit of spicy red apple, light nutty nuances of slivered almonds and a skunky hint of flatulent reduction that slowly blows off. The wine feels surprisingly broad and rich on the palate with a full body and intense, relatively austere flavors of stony minerality and chalk dust, some ripe citrus fruits, a little bit of spicy red apple, light and subtly bitter herby nuances, a hint of chopped almonds and a touch of waxiness. The acidity feels medium-to-moderately high - enough to keep the wine in balance and pretty refreshing, even if the overall feel is slightly oily and a bit on the soft side. The finish is ripe, quite firm and surprisingly crisp with a powerful and rather dry aftertaste of stony minerality and fresh citrus fruits, some sweeter notes of juicy yellow fruits, light nutty notes of chopped almonds, a little bit of crunchy red apple and a hint of apple peel bitterness.
  
  A very characterful and distinctive Vernaccia di San Gimignano that feels surprisingly substantial and a bit more rustic than your typical modern, clean Italian white. The cold soak with the skins has undoubtedly softened the wine to some degree, adding their layer of slightly oily richness and waxy qualities to the wine, but also lending the wine additional depth and complexity. The overall feel is still on a very youthful side, quite evident in the somewhat reductive nature of the wine, so I heratily recommend letting the wine either age some more, or letting the wine aerate in a decanter for an hour or a few, if opened now. A fine and unique effort, recommended.

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