Il Drago e le 8 Colombe IGT Supertuscan 2018
A scarce vintage in quantity but with great quality, 2018 gifts us Il Drago e le 8 Colombe – Supertuscan in a “20th century style”, with great aromatic richness
In the vineyards 2018, began by showing the effects of a spring frost the previous year: the clusters were few and small, right from the beginning. An element that on the other hand seemed to be negative instead permitted the grapes to happily survive a very rainy month of May and a summer that alternated heat and big storms. A climate that resembled that of last century, with more clouds than sunshine. The September sunshine was decisive for the quality of the grapes: the size of each grape was smaller and the ripening took place slowly, simultaneously in the skins and in the pulp of the grapes –technological and poliphenolic ripening. Temperatures in the period before the harvest rendered the Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2018 its distinctive catachrestic: fine, complex and deep aromas.
Finally a small but significant detail, against all weather forecasts, the rain arrived the day after the harvest ended. This is not a small detail, because, interpreting the “20th century style” harvests the best grapes, like those for the Il Drago e le 8 Colombe, were picked for last. A stroke of luck that when drinking this Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is clearly noticeable.
THE NAME IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE
The Il Drago e le 8 Colombe comes from the first all female staffed winery in Italy: our consultant Valérie Lavigne, the wine makers Barbara Sabrina and Giada, the hospitality and sales staff are all women. There are 8 doves, mentioned in the name together with a dragon, the only man present: Carlo Gardini, husband to Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the owner. He too expresses his passion for fine wines by following the procedures for producing small selections of sweet wines.
Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is also born to celebrate men in wine.
IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE 2018
This is a “Supertuscan” wine, a “masterpiece” of a wine IGT Toscana, where the varieties are used following creativity and not tradition. In the Il Drago e le 8 Colombe there is a union of, at the end of their ageing, three different varieties: Sangiovese prince of Tuscany that gives the wine elegance, Merlot (20%) that adds pleasantness and then Sagrantino (20%) that increases the structure. All the grapes are grown, vinified, aged in barrel, bottles and refined on the estate.