Fonterutoli is located 5 km south of Castellina in Chianti (Siena), on the hills facing the Val d’Elsa, in the heart of the Chianti Classico. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, it still retains its original form, that of a tranquil country village: a cluster of houses, the church of San Miniato and the villa, built at the end of the 1500s where the medieval castle once stood. Today, the estate comprises 117 hectares of vineyard, largely planted with Sangiovese with some Merlot, Colorino, Malvasia Nera and Cabernet Sauvignon vines also planted. The cellar at Fonterutoli, designed by architect, Agnesi Mazzei, is one of the most impressive in the region, and has a minimal impact on the environment.
The new vintage of Poggio Badiola has arrived! Its brand new label is inspired by the ancient Romanic abbey, La Badiola, which was built in 998 B.C. and overlooks the vineyards of one of the most picturesque hills of Chianti Classico. The addition of Petit Verdot to the blend (65% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot ) adds an appetising spiciness and enhances its longevity. The wine spent 10 months in Tonneaux barrels (500 L) allowing the production of a fresher, more modernstyle while the introduction of the natural cork enables further ageing and elevates its quality level.
Vineyards location: Le Ripe vineyard, alt.: 450 – 510 m. (1,476 – 1,673 ft) a.s.l.
Soil: Rocky – coming from decomposed limestone and sandstone
Training system: Spur cordon-training and Guyot
Nr. of vines per hectare: 5.500 – 7.200 plants
Harvest: Hand picked from September 1st
Fermentation temperature: 26 – 28° C
Period of maceration: 12 – 15 days
Ageing: In american small
oak barrels (225 lt) for 10 months
Bottling: May 2024
The 2022 harvest year was characterised by a mild winter, but with scarce rainfall. Springtime temperatures where initially within the average for the period, and then gradually rose; this increase allowed for the homogenous and constant vegetative growth of the plants. The budding stage on Sangiovese vines began around the 10th April, and was found to shift based on the different pedoclimatic characteristics of our vineyards. The high temperatures and low rainfall accompanied the formation and subsequent flowering of the inflorescences, which took place on the 16th May, up to fruit-setting of the clusters.
The summer was also particularly dry, giving the grapes unique characteristics: the exposure of the clusters to high temperatures from the very first stages of their growth thickened the skins, ensuring the grapes held up well during the ripening stage.
In terms of plant-protection, the paucity of rainfall, combined with the high temperatures and humidity levels within normal values, allowed using a targeted approach against the principal grape plant diseases and pests.
Overall, the harvest was more than satisfactory in terms of health of the grapes, with a reduction of the volume produced, due to the scarce rainfall, that affected the weight of the grape clusters.
Beginning of the harvest: September 1st, 2022
End of the harvest: October 6th, 2022
Rainfalls (sum of rainfall between April 1st and September 30th): 440-621 mm
Temperature Index (sum of average daily temperatures from April 1st to September 30th): 5.455,39 °C
Evaluation: Good
Elegant, fresh red berry flavors, velvety, aromatic and supple.
Cold cuts, pasta with meat/game sauce, pizza, big grilled fish, pot roast.
Serve at 16°C.
IGT Toscana
70% Sangiovese
30% Merlot
Natural Cork
13.50%
5.30%
Yes
Yes
