Our Chardonnay is the brainchild of Fabrizio Bianchi, who – in the mid-1970s – decided to plant these vines on the winery’s land outside of the Chianti Classico denomination. Inspired by the great white wines of Burgundy, it was initially fermented entirely in wooden tanks, but since 2000 the volume of oak-fermented grapes has been steadily decreasing – with 70% of the grapes now fermented in stainless steel tanks. There is a large stock of our Chardonnay in our cellar, illustrating this wine’s ability to stand up to the passage of time
Designation
I.G.T. Toscana Bianco
First year of production
1990
Grape varieties
100% Chardonnay
Training system
Guyot and spurred cordon
Vinification
Two thirds of the grapes are vinified in steel vats at controlled temperature, the remaining part in French oak "tonneaux" where it remains on the lees for about 6/7 months
Ageing
One year of bottle aging
Climate trend
2014 was one of the most particular vintages of the decade. The winter was very hot, the average temperatures were far above normal by around 5° C and rainfall was also abundant throughout the winter. Budding came early, given the abundant rainfall during the winter months and the mild temperatures of the spring months. Many buds had already blossomed by late March, early April. The months of May and June were quite normal: average temperatures without excessive rainfall. July and August were slightly cooler months than usual, often characterized by afternoon showers. In the summer months we worked a lot on green management, trying to maintain a good leaf wall on the aerial part of the plant so as to have excellent photosynthesis, while the bunches were directly exposed to the sun, and we did manual defoliation on both sides of the row. This helped allow good circulation of the wind, reaching the bunches, and both sides’ direct exposure to the sun, to minimize the onset of mould. During the harvest there was scrupulous checkingl of the bunches, eliminating any not in perfect condition, and in many vineyards we made a double harvest. The month of October returned to normal, with windy days and pleasant temperatures, the harvest took place as predicted and we picked the last grapes on October 10th.
