Franchetti 2008
Viticulturally, the 2008 vintage started in 2007 when vines had reached the end of the November harvest unstressed from a tempered year and ready to enter the winter’s rest well nourished. There was then good hydration from repeated snowfalls on the mountain, and the hot three months of July, August and September were not able to stress the plants enough to halt the quick development through the growing and ripening stages. Some tiredness due to the dried-out soils came in October, but rains were already on the horizon and brought water in just the right quantity. We picked at the end of the month, and there were just enough berries on the vines this year to make this 40% cesanese d’Affile and 60% petit verdot blend.
Vineyard age: 6 years
Vineyard area: 2 hectares
Vineyard density: 12,300 vines per Ha
Vineyard altitude: 1,000 m a.s.l.
Yield per hectare: 20 Hl/Ha
Fertilization: None
Spraying: Propolis, grapefruit seed extract, sulphur, lime
Vinification: Fermentation in 30hl steel vats for 15 days
MLF: New French oak barriques for 4 months
Aging: New French oak barriques for 18 months, at least 3 months in bottle
Bottling: April 2010
Production: 4,800 bottles
REVIEWS
“Dare-devil blend of 60% Petit Verdot and 40% Cesanese, the indigenous underachiever from Lazio, but it works! Medium, brilliant ruby. Much more in the international mould than the Passopisciaro, with new oak, but full of character on the palate, much more Sicilian than the nose. Gripping tannin. Truly exciting.”
— Walter Speller, Jancisrobinson.com, 17.5/20
