Podere Le Boncie 2017 Le Trame IGT Toscana Italy

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Le Trame: The beauty of Sangiovese is revealed here in its most pure form, unencumbered by manipulation of the wine during vinification and elevage and without exposure to new oak. The vineyard lies at an altitude of 300-350 meters; the average vine age is 15 years. The essential character of this wine can best be described as “ferociously elegant”. But, what appears to be an oxymoron is, in fact, the reality. There is a gracefulness to this wine, an impeccable balance, that belies the intense concentration reflected in its vigorous, ripe tannins. Annual production is approximately 1000 cases; we import between 25% to 30% of that amount for the US market.

Giovanna Morganti is quickly becoming recognized as one of the best of the new generation of Tuscan winemakers. Her small estate is a mere three hectares and her only wine is called “Le Trame” (the intrigues) signifying the wheeling and dealing required to purchase the land. Giovanna’s father was a legendary oenologist who believed in Tuscan varietals long before the “flying consultants” identified this area as a profit center. Podere Le Boncie is situated in the hamlet of San Felice which itself is located a handful of minutes north of Castelnuovo Berardenga, in the southern tier of the Chianti Classico zone. Giovanna studied oenology herself and went to work in the mid 1980s for San Felice wines in

Castelnuovo Berardenga, near Siena, on a project to plant around 300 traditional Tuscan grape varietals collected from old vineyards. When Giovanna’s father gave her a small farm with olive groves, called Le Boncie, she added a vineyard planted with her favorites from the experimental project – Sangiovese, obviously, but also Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Foglia tonda Mammolo and Prugnolo., The vineyard, planted to a very high density of 7000 vines per hectare and dedicated principally to Sangiovese (supplemented by a few rows of Fogliatonda and the others for blending), produces the definitive wine of the estate: “Le Trame”. Vineyard work is conducted according to the general principles of the biodynamic movement. Harvesting is by hand. Fermentation occurs in traditional open-topped wooden tanks. The elevage is long and tranquil with an occasional racking implemented to aerate the wine. Aging occurs in mid-size barrels; the wine is then left to age in bottle for at least six months prior to release. Thus, the normal rhythm results in the wine’s arrival in our cellars in New York not earlier than 30 months after harvest.

At a Glance:

• Appellation: IGT Toscana
• Uvaggio: Saniovese (90%), Colorino, Mammolo, Foglia Ton- da, and Ciliegiolo
• Average Annual Production: 12,000 bottles
• Average Alcohol by Volume: 13%
• Average Residual Sugar: < 5 g/l
• Average Total Acidity: c. 5 g/l

In The Vineyard:

• Parcel Names, Slopes, and Locations: From c. 3 ha of gentlysloped vines in a single parcel near Castelnuovo Baradenga

• Soil Types and Compositions: Alberese (Limestone-clay)
• Vine Age, Training, and Density: Trained in Albarello and planted at 7,000 vines/ha in the late 1980's

• Average Yields: High planting density in Albarello natural- ly controls yields, which are further reduced by pruning and debudding.

• Average Harvest Date and Type: Manual, usually in mid-Oc- tober

In The Cellar:

• Fermentation: After total destemming, wine ferments spontaneously in open-top, neutral Slavonian and Austrian oak tini.
• Pressing: Pneumatic pressing
• Time on Lees: Wine remains on its fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling.

• Malolactic Fermentation: Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation

• Élevage: 24 months in neutral, 500-l barrels and Slavonian and Austrian oak botti

• Press Wine: Blended after malolactic
• Fining and Filtration: Unfined and unfiltered
• Sulfur: Applied at bottling, with c. 40 mg/l total sulfur

In The Glass:

The beauty of Sangiovese is revealed here in its most pure form, unencumbered by manipulation of the wine during Vinification and elevage and without exposure to new oak. The essential character of this wine can best be described as ferociously elegant: there is a gracefulness to this wine, an impeccable balance, that belies the intense concentration reflected in its vigorous, ripe tannins.