Tenuta di Trinoro 2013
2013 was serene during most of the growing season, with little rain but covered skies; summer temperatures were very unusual because they averaged 26°C instead of our typical 36°C (79°F instead of 97°F). In the cool environment, it was the plants’ own growing efforts that ripened the grapes, not really the sun. The obscure metabolism continues after the berries were separated from the plant, after they were fermented, and it drives forward in the wines even now, years before they can start aging.
Forty pickings were brought to the cellar – healthy and hard fruit that was light in sugars but complete. The ripening that comes from a vineyard’s own efforts, without a violent sun or rains, launches a process that unravels even in the new liquid of berries that have been separated from plants and fermented. To help deepen the wines, I have kept each for long on its lees. When it came time to blend, I found that all the wines I had chosen came from the higher vineyards where the clusters had hung longer.
This year, all wines have been changing violently from mute and green-leaning to red-fruited, then black-fruited; their green edge peels off, disappearing continuously into layers of further length and depth.
REVIEWS
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, 96+ points: “The 2013 Tenuta di Trinoro is one of the most restrained wines I can remember tasting here. There is plenty of intensity and depth in the glass, but at the same time, the 2013 has a more classic, focused sense of structure that balances some of the more overt elements. I expect it will be a number of years before the 2013 is ready to show all of its cards, although it is undoubtedly striking, even at this early stage. Drinking window: 2021 – 2033”
Monica Larner, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, 95 points: “This newest release comes from a significantly cooler vintage. Summer highs only reached 26 degrees Celsius, compared to 40 degrees on an average year. As a result, the 2013 Tenuta di Trinoro is symbolic of a revisited and fresher style that Andrea Franchetti hopes to achieve with this landmark wine. This wine definitely stands apart from the others thanks to its tight lines and detailed fruit nuances. Blackberry, dried cherry and red currant is backed by leather, spice and chewing tobacco. The cool growing season meant that fruit was harvested very late (at the beginning of November) and the acidity is indeed more pronounced. The wine was slow to open when I tasted it. Despite its initial shyness, this 2013 vintage is shaping up to be a wine of enormous beauty and elegance. It delivers the confidence and character to withstand a longer drinking window than most. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030”
Guida vitae 2016, 4VITI
BLEND
50% Cabernet Franc
33% Merlot
13% Cabernet Sauvignon
4% Petit Verdot
ALTITUDE
1,475-2,000 feet (450-600 m)
PRODUCTION
7,200 bottles
