Though lesser known than Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile is one of Italy’s great wines. It was one of four regions to first receive DOCG status, representing the height of the Italian wine hierarchy. The region’s wine history is long and storied, beginning in 1549 when the cellar master of Pope Paul III declared it a ‘perfect wine’. In the 1600s, renowned poet Francesco Redi called it ‘the king of all wines’ and the name Nobile (Noble) was born.
Geographically situated between its more famous Tuscan neighbours, Vino Nobile’s style takes the best from each—bright and supple, concentrated and powerful. It is here that Sangiovese possesses an ease and elegance you won’t find elsewhere in Tuscany. According to DOCG rules, Vino Nobile must come from vineyards on the hills which surround Montepulciano, a picturesque hill town 40 km southeast of Siena, in southeastern Tuscany. This area is made up of slopes reaching 250–600 MASL in altitude, located between two rivers – the Ocria and the Chiana.
These soils are sandy clay and the climate is temperate. Fruit ripens slower here than in Chianti and Montalcino and harvests into October are common. This allows time for the bunches to develop phenolic ripeness, avoiding the grape’s tendency to sometimes produce green, bitter notes in the glass. This also creates the framework for bright natural acidity, keeping the wines fresh, food-friendly and great candidates for medium-term cellaring. They are wildly aromatic and strike a fine balance between structure and fruit ripeness, often alongside notes of violet, exotic spice, leather and cigar box.
Salcheto is one of five Vino Nobile producers that form the ‘Vinum Alliance’. These five wineries represent the region’s apex, each one obsessively crafting wines from the native Tuscan grape, Sangiovese. Their unified objective is to tell the story of this territory and its wines and to put it back in its rightful place among the great national and international wines. To that end, each winery was tasked with making a special, premium bottle in the very best vintages to showcase the finest bottles that Vino Nobile has to offer…
2019 Salcheto ‘Vecchie Viti del Salco’ Vino Nobile
Cellar Collection – October 3rd – $139.95
95 Points Vinous, 94 Points Wine Enthusiast
The Vecchie Viti del Salco is sourced from a single, 2-hectare plot adjacent to the winery. It is here that you’ll find Salcheto’s oldest vines planted with a particular clone of Sangiovese that reaches a slight over ripeness each year. Grapes are carefully sorted by hand, gently crushed, macerated and fermented via wild yeasts in 70hl wood tanks. Aged two years in oak and another two in bottle prior to release.
Explosive aromas of black cherry, strawberry, cocoa, cedar and pomegranate lead to a full, silky-smooth palate, with added savoury and earthy elements. The tannins are structured but evolved, and the acids are well-integrated with the fruit. The finish is long and complex. Decant and serve at cellar temperature with seared flank steak or porcini mushrooms.
Salcheto is an ‘off the grid’ winery operating one of the wine world’s only energy-independent cellar systems. Their 50 hectares of vineyards are certified organic and farmed using biodynamic principles. Along with countless other environmental initiatives, this led to Salcheto being named Gambero Rosso’s Sustainable Winery of the Year in 2014 and one of 24 Green Emblem Wineries, awarded by The Wine Advocate to the world’s most sustainable producers.
