Montepeloso 2020 'Gabbro' Cabernet Sauvignon, Toscana IGT

Item Number: 18078

UPC: None

Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Sub Region: Tuscany
Appellation/AVA: Toscana IGT
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2020
Grape(s): 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 6
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 15
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Lime-rich petrified clay & silex
Elevation: 80 meters
Case Production: 300

Winemaking Notes: This is THE great Cabernet Sauvignon of Suvereto. A decade from now, we would not be surprised to see Gabbro replace Sassacaia as the ultimate Tuscan Cabernet. The wine is 100% old vine Cabernet, some of which are 50 years old. Spontaneous fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled vats. Maceration lasts for 20-30 days on the skins, depending on the plot. Malolactic fermentation occurs mostly French tonneaux. The wine ages for 8-9 months in a mix French tonneaux and barriques (60% new) and another 12 months in bottle before release.  

Tasting Notes: The wine displays a black cherry red color with violet shades. The nose is very complex with intense aromas of black fruit intermixed with hints of garrigue herbs and spicy flavors. The wine exhibits soft and round tannins on the palate. The 2020 Montepeloso Gabbro is elegant in style but also impresses with its Mediterranean sensuality and aromatic expression. 

Terroir Notes: Tucked away in the hills of Suvereto near Bolgheri on the Tuscan Coast is the 30-hectare Montepeloso estate of which 14 hectares are planted to vines. Fabio Chiarelotto purchased the estate of Montepeloso in 1998, after years working in academia as an historian. While the estate had achieved fame under the former owners, Chiarelotto believed it held the potential to take quality even higher. Looking to the future, Chiarelotto decided to drastically restructure (i.e., cut back) the vines in early 1999. As the estate emerged from those changes, his healthier vineyards and understanding of the wines has positioned this estate to achieve even great renown. Chiarelotto’s focus is to shape coastal Tuscan wine with local varieties. 

In Suvereto, the influences of land and sea interact. The thermal currents generated by a combination of strong solar radiation and local ground conditions, as well as the constant ventilation from coastal winds, exert a welcome cooling effect on the grapes. Despite the Tuscan sun, there is a freshness in the air, which is also apparent in the pronounced salinity of the wines. The strongly mineral composition of the soils in the Colline Metallifere area and the spicy notes of the Mediterranean macchia have a seminal influence on the wines, endowing them with lightness and a distinctive local character. The soil of Montepeloso is rich in minerals, characterized by the silex typical of the area and the scaly Scaglia Toscana (fossilized clay).