Cipriana, San Martino, Bolgheri Superiore 2018 (14%)

lacipriana.com POA $

Consortium Wine & Spirits, More than Grapes, Vera Fine Wine

It is some measure of Tuscany’s propitiousness for fine-winemaking that, having given us Chianti, Brunello and vin santo over the centuries, it still had one last hidden trick up its sleeve: Bolgheri. This is no pale imitation of the inland DOCGs, as you’ll quickly grasp when you pour a glass of this opaque black-red wine, and smell its luscious, plush fruited richness, oozing with blackberry and plum. In the mouth, this is sweetly phrased, ultra-ripe, yet expressive and balanced. You may catch a note of pine and cypress on the finish that will take you to the shores of the Mediterranean, which laps nearby. Exuberant yet structured, this Cabernet-Petit Verdot blend (and its Bolgheri zone) personify a Tuscany you won’t find elsewhere.

Cipriana was established in the mid-1970s by the grandfather, father and uncle of today’s manager Laura Fabiani, who in the early 2000s left her hometown of Bergamo to join the family and help propel the estate.

‘Our adventure began out of passion,’ says Fabiani. ‘At first it was a decidedly traditional set-up. But in 2017 we invested in our winery and the land in order to bring production and quality to the level required today.’

The 2018 vintage is the 40th release of a wine named after a poem by Italy’s Nobel Prizewinning poet Giosuè Carducci, who grew up in the nearby medieval town that bears his name.

‘It’s a blend of old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot,’ explains Fabiani. ‘The Cabernet vines are planted on a mountainous foothill with mixed sandy, clayey soil and a favourable exposure in terms of sunshine and ventilation. The Petit Verdot comes from another area planted on purely sandy soil.

‘With San Martino and this important award, we hope to express a concept of character, elegance, tradition and passion; to represent a journey that started back in 1978.’