Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
90% Prugnolo Gentile, 10% Merlot
The winter of 2009-2010 was very rainy and, in terms of temperature, quite cold as well. Bud break took place towards mid-April for the early-ripening grape varieties and in early May the for later-ripening grapes. Frequent rain during the period of flowering (the first week in June) had no damaging effects on bud set. A cool summer and a warm, dry September led to a slow and gradual ripening of the grapes, allowing them to be picked rather late in the season and over an extended period of time, assisting an excellent ripening of all the different grape varieties. Picking began in mid-September and only terminated towards the end of October. A careful and meticulous cultivation of the vines and an equally attentive management of their canopy during the growing season, along with the favorable climate, led to uniformly high quality in all of the varieties, and these positive characteristics can be found in the finished wines as well.
The warm days of summer, accompanied as they were by cool evenings and nights, led to a perfect ripening of the grape bunches and, at the same time, the formation of fresh and fruity aromas. After picking, which took place in late September and early October, the grapes were destemmed and then pressed. The period of skin contact during fermentation lasted fifteen days, and at the end of the fermentation the wine went into large oak casks where it was put through a complete malolactic fermentation. The total aging period in oak lasted approximately twelve months. The wine was then bottled and given an additional twelve months of bottle age before commercial release.
The La Braccesca farm, which extends over an overall surface area of 420 hectares (1050 acres), is composed of two separate blocks. The historic nucleus of the property is located in Montepulciano and consists of 103 hectares (some 255 acres) of vineyards planted in the finest sub-zones for the production of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, while the other block is situated at the foot of the hills of Cortona. The first vintage of the La Braccesca Vino Nobile was the 1990.
Ruby red in color, the 2010 Vino Nobile shows red fruit and spices on its nose along with aromas of sweet tobacco which fuse with notes of cherries and black currants. The mineral sensations of the wine, together with very well balanced tannins, accompany the entire flow over the palate, all the way through to the long and tasty finish and aftertaste.
3 stelle di Veronelli
I vini di Veronelli
Wine Enthusiast magazine