Palazzi 2017
ABOUT THE VINTAGE
This 100% merlot is made from a selection of grapes from about 2 hectares across the estate, with only a small quantity produced each year.
2017 was a difficult growing season throughout Italy: the winter was completely dry; the spring brought frost to the valley again after many years; then summer temperatures were exceedingly high, with peaks of 40*C during the day, for three straight months, and little or no refreshment at night, turning the Val d’Orcia into a sort of Sahara. At harvest, the berries were tiny, all skin and seeds and no juice. The resulting wines are like black ink – dense, dark, and closed. They have a density and concentration to them, alongside an unexpected green note; the vines had shut down due to hydric stress, accounting for this strange intersection of slightly under and over ripeness at the same time.
This year, we produced half the normal quantity of Palazzi, blending together the merlot from two vineyards. We harvested in Tenaglia Ovest on September 9th and in Sotto Cocceto on September 15th. This concentrated wine shows hints of blueberry jam, with notes of baking spice, alongside chalky tannins.
100% Merlot
