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Castello del Terriccio 2004 - Castello del Terriccio
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Italy - Tuscany |
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| About the wine |
A true great wine, is this red wine made of a blend of 50% Syrah, 25% Petit-Verdot, 25% other red varieties, coming from one single vineyard made by by Castello del Terriccio from the wine region Tuscany in Italy.
The Castello del Terriccio is made in the appellation of IGT Toscana and was made of a blend of 50% Syrah, 25% Petit-Verdot, 25% other red varieties harvested in the year 2004, which was a classic vintage in this area.
In 2004 the weather was very balanced and produced the fluctuation of temperatures between day and night that is critical to achieve phenolic ripeness in the grapes. Rainfall was at normal patterns. Stable weather during the harvest gave us the luxury of being able to pick parcels at the optimum moment rather than being forced to harvest as happened in 2003. The favorable conditions also allowed us who make wines in a super-ripe style to harvest fairly late. Because the vines had shut down in 2003 the ideal weather conditions in 2004 released much of the stored energy in the plants, and they were especially productive. Vintage 2004 combines quantity with quality, something we can describe as a hallmark of a great vintage because it means full maturation was achieved across all levels of vineyards. Indeed, it would be a gross understatement to say we are ecstatic over the quality of our 2004s.
The average annual production for the Castello del Terriccio is around 30.000 bottles. The average age of the vines used to make the Tassinaia is 10-15 years.
The Castello del Terriccio a cuvee (manual selection of the best grapes in the vineyard and was aged in wooden barrels. The wooden barrels that were used for the aging of the wine are 225 liter barrels made of French Allier oak of which 90% is new and 10% second passage.
The Castello del Terriccio will show best when served at 16-18 degrees Celcius and should drink well until 2025.
The wine pairs very well with red meat, grilled beef, game, cheese with honey
The wine has an alcohol level of 14%
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Tasting note
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Intense aromas of meat and berry, with hints of roasted coffee. Full-bodied, layered and rich, with round tannins and a long finish. Very beautiful. Best after 2009
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Producer Information
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The Property
Castello del Terriccio is a 1700 ha estate in Maremma, Tuscany’s famed southern coastal region whose origin dates back to the Middle Ages. Originally serving as a working farm, the estate’s wine was traditionally sold unbottled. It was not until the late 1980s that owner Gian Annibale Rossi di Medelana, in an effort to restructure the estate’s activities, made viticulture the primary focus of the estate. Influenced by his love for Bordeaux-style wines and seeing the success of coastal wineries in nearby Bolgheri, Rossi di Medelana staked the estate’s future on its winemaking potential which its many accolades, beginning with a rare Tre Bicchieri award for its first release, the 1993 vintage of Lupicaia, prove to be extraordinary.
In the Vineyard
Carlo Ferrini serves as consulting enologist for the estate’s limited production red wines, assisted by young and promising Giovanni Passoni as cellar master and enologist of the white wines. The estate began re-planting in 1988 and has now over 60 ha of mainly red varieties. In order to ensure quality and consistency of the vines, cuttings from prestigious estates in Bordeaux were used to plant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the Sangiovese vineyard was selected from new plantings of Sangiovese Grosso clones from Montalcino. Also planted are Petit Verdot and Syrah. Nearly all the white acreage is in Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay with very minor plantings in various other varieties. Vines are cordon-trained and spur-pruned and exposure is to the South and West, facing the sea. Soils are mineral-rich and a unique Mediterranean climate with moderating breezes from the nearby coast and plenty of sunlight that reflects off the water promotes ripeness. All grapes are hand harvested, with pickers making two consecutive passes through the vineyards to ensure perfectly ripened clusters. Eucalyptus trees and Photinia grow around the vineyards, protecting them from the cooling winds and imparting unique aromas that have become characteristic to Terriccio’s wines.
In the Cellar
Under the technical direction of consulting oenologists Carlo Ferrini, Rossi di Medelana has created an exclusive portfolio of limited-production wines from the estate's vines.
Red wines are made using an extended, post-fermentation maceration to obtain the maximum extraction of color, aromas, flavors and ripe, soft tannins. Following malolactic fermentation, red wines are raked into stainless steel tanks for analysis before being transferred to barrels, a process that takes place every four to five months. The lots and clones remain separate until final blending in September.
Barriques are used for three vintages. The first passage is for Lupicaia and Castello del Terriccio. The interior of the barrels are then resurfaced and used for Tassinaia in the second and third years. The wines receive only a rough filtration to remove gross lees prior to bottling.
The wines
Tassinaia, "the place of stones", is named after the stony galestro soil special to Tuscany upon which the vineyard is situated. Located on a south-southwest exposed slope this vineyard occupies 37.5 acres planted from the early 1990s primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese with the balance in Merlot vines.
Castello del Terriccio is the latest addition to the portfolio and takes its name from the estate itself. First released in 2000, this wine is produced from cuttings of Syrah and Mourvèdre that Rossi di Medelana brought back in 1998 after two summers spent with a famous French “pepinieriste” all along the south coast of France and after trying more than 100 different varieties to choose the wood to craft the vines and the Petit Verdot from previous plantings in the Lupicaia and Tassinaia vineyards. The vineyards are situated on south and southwest facing slopes with exceptional luminosity.
Lupicaia,"the place of wolf hunts" is named after the wolves that are found roaming the vineyard planted in 1989 to 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. This is the estate's finest microclimate and yields its best grapes. Exposure is on south-southwest-facing slopes in soils consisting of stones and sand which are sheltered by eucalyptus trees that leave their own mark on this remarkable wine.
“We create wines whose integrity allows them to be aged for many years, yet are approachable enough to be consumed immediately,” says Rossi di Medelana.
Castello del Terriccio has been named an “outstanding producer” by Robert Parker and the wines are regularly awarded Gambero Rosso’s coveted Tre Bicchieri. To date, the estate has been awarded 14 Tre Bicchieri, one of only 9 producers in Italy to do so.
“A wine takes a long time to develop … this applies not only to wine but anything one does of excellence.” - Gian Annibale Rossi di Medelana
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