THE SOILS
As it is shown clearly on the geological maps, the soil is from the Pliocene period and it is of various colours and character, from purple to red and pale grey. It alternates with calcareous soil dating back to the times when the climate in Tuscany was sub-tropical. This is by nature more soluble and hence the more fertile sub layers,which are of a reddish colour, this allows the cultivation of the vine, thanks to the water retention which enables the vines to survive the dry summers.Furthermore as the soils are not so deep they reduce the expansion of the roots and thus any excessive vigour of the vines. However, the main characteristic of these soils is the extreme difference that occurs in short spaces of several hundreds meters.
Vineyards: 22,5 hectars (16 of Chianti Classico) Altitude of Vineyards: 350 meters over MSL Planting density for hectar: 5.000 (media) Species of vine (red): Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino; Species of vine (white): Trebbiano and Malvasia, Annual production: circa 120.000 bottles Forms of cultivation: Gujot and Cordone speronato Wine Cellar capacity: durmastwood 520 hectoliter, barriques 400 hectoliter Stainless steal 2000 hectoliter
THE SOIL AND THE VINEYARDS
This characteristic is well illustrated in three distinct areas:
Terrine, Torre a Destra, Torre a Sinistra These vineyards are facing east/south-east where the dominant com- ponents are: the typical marl-like soil (a combination of limestone and clay) of Chianti called Galestro and calcareous formations. The layers follows the direction of the hill and the soils are ochre in colour, only lightly eroded and with extraordinary balance. Ciliegio, Bossolo, Barbiano On these soils the structure of the flysc shows the layers of argillite scistose of a red to purple colour alternate with deposits of clay and limestone. These soils tend to erode more easily.
Querciole e Poggio
They are better preserved soils because they are nearly flat and located on the top of the hill. On these soils it is possible to see the ancient process of formation dating back to very different climatic eras, where the attack of the iron and aluminium on the calcareous layers , has left deeper and stronger soils. The characteristics and the position of this terrain has also protect them from erosion so that they are more generous.
THE ORIGIN OF OUR WINES
The differences in the soils obviously influence the character of the wines.
From the vineyards in the Terrine, Torre a destra and Torre a sinistra we obtain grapes which produce swines that are more structured and complex; Ciliegiolo, Bossolo and Barbiano gives weaker, but more elegant wines and Querciole and Poggio, because they are so deep, are ideal for the production of young wines with less concentration in the grapes.
THE PROJECTS
By particular company choice the only grape varieties planted and used are Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero. They are the results of internal selections started many generations ago. There strength of this company are the very old vineyards with medium to high density which survived the terrible years of restructuring of vineyards in Tuscany in the sixties and seventies. Therefore all the genetic material in the wi-nery is strictly from autochthon clones which completely reflect the characters of the soils.At the moment half of the 22 hectare planted has a density of 5,000 plants/hectare and in the future we anticipate a density of 6,000 to 8,000 plants/hectare We strongly believe that using exclusively Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nerois not only our tradition but also the only answer to the increasing popularity of the New World wines. We think in fact that making good Merlot or Cabernet wines is possible wherever you are in the world, however, only the Chianti Classico region has the potentiality to produce outstanding Sangiovese and Canaiolo.
400 YEARS OF HISTORY
The Paneretta castle is situated in the Chianti Classico area on the western slopes of the dominating hills of the Elsa valley, looking towards San Gimignano. It was built around an ancient sighting tower. The morning after the battle from Montaperti, the “Ghibellini” orderedto leavethe castle of Cepparello in 1260. This place was an important suburband fortress of this area. So the sighting tower becomes bigger and reaches its importance. The first owners of the castle were the family Vettori, the last heir, Maddalena, brought it as dowry to her wedding with Ludovico Capponiin 1577. The couple restored the castle completely and commissioned Bernardino Poccetti,important manner painter,to fresco the loggia of the court. In this era the Paneretta became a place of passing by for painters and poets, one of those, Gerolamo Muzio, dedicated a poem tothe castle and remained here until his death. Also the production of wine is documented from 1596 on. In 1696, Cassandra Capponi brought the castle an important collection of codex’s parchments and books into her marriage with the Marchese Carlo Riccardi Strozzi. This collection formed the nucleus of the Riccardian library in Florence. The Strozzi family remained owner of the castle until 1984, in this year, the family Albisetti took over. With its 309 hectares (majority wood) the Paneretta is one of the biggest farms of the area.
Chianti Classico 2010
The year 2010 was characterized by an uncertain and rainy spring followed by a summer which alternated between very hot days and cool days with heavy rainfall.Fortunately,we were helped by our stony soils, which allow for excellent water drainage.After the 2009 harvestand the appropriate fertilizations, which vary according to the type of soil, we planned carefully to obtain an optimal number of bunches per plant (the right number of buds during the pruning, green harvest, crop thinning out, removal of leaves in excess- all manually done). The 2010 harvest started on September 29th and ended on October 12th. The average yield of Sangiovese per hectare was around 5500-6000 kg, while the average yield of Canaiolo per hectare was around 4000-4500 kg. The grapes arrived in the winery in perfect condition, in small healthy bunches with thick skin.The maceration in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks lasted5 days with frequent daily pumping over. The wine has aged for 12 month in 30 hl and 50 hl French (Allier) oak casks and it was bottled in September 2011. We have produced 65000 bottles of Chianti Classico vintage 2010.
Chianti Classico Riserva 2009
We start the process in winter by using organic compost in the vineyards to rejuvenate the vine’s root systems. High rainfall in both winter and spring meant a well watered and well drained soil. This was to be important later on for the vegetation. The summer was very dry and the early rains meant that the plants had sufficient water. A good balance of leaf and bunches of grapes done by good selection and pruning allowed growth without any problems. In September temperature dropped particularly at night allow the plant to recover – leading to a harvest where grapes were healthy, small but perfectly formed with a thick skin and meaty pulp. Quantity was less than last year but this was due to our strict selection policy. The maceration in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks lasted 5 days with frequent daily pumping over. After drawing off and after the malolactic fermentation, we put half of the wine in french barriques.The other part of the wine was placed in 30 hl wooden casks of french oak from Allier. The wine refined there for 18 months and was bottled in September 2012. We produced 18.000 bottles.