Alberto Antonini’s Poggiotondo estate is situated in the hills to the north-west of Empoli in western Tuscany. These hills are south and south-west facing, planted primarily with Sangiovese. The estate has been certified organic since the 2014 vintage.

This wine is made soley from Sangiovese grapes grown in a one hectare vineyard planted in 1990. It is situated on top of a south-east facing hill and is called "Vigna delle Conchiglie", at an altitude of 100 meters above sea level. The name comes from the old marine soils which are rich with calcareous seashells (conchiglie). Planting density is 5,950 vines per hectare, trained with vertical shoot positioning and Guyot pruning. Yields are kept low at less than a kilogram per vine, the equivalent of 5 tonnes per hectare.

Vinification: Grapes were hand-picked into small 16 kilogram cases before being gently destemmed, crushed and loaded into fermenters using a gravity flow system. Fermentation took place in 500 litre rolling oak fermenters with native yeasts at a maximum temperature of 28°C for 10-12 days. Native yeasts were used to preserve the character of the single vineyard. The cap was punched down several times a day to optimise extraction of colour and flavour. The wine underwent 7 days of maceration on the skins post-fermentation. It was then racked into tight-grained untoastedFrench oak barrels (16.5 hectolitre capactity), of which 20% was new, for 20 months, during which time malolactic fermentation took place. The wine was then bottled without fining or filtering.

Weather 2018 began with temperatures higher than the seasonal average which led to an early bud break in the months of March and April, followed by a fairly rainy May. From June the temperatures started to rise again. Summer had average temperatures with scattered rains, giving to the wine silkiness, elegance and freshness. The month of September was characterized by sunny days with a marked diurnal temperature variation, which allowed the grapes to achieve a perfect phenolic and aromatic ripening.

Technical Information:
Grape: 100% Sangiovese
Region: Chianti Classico, Tuscany
Alcohol: 14.5 %
Acidity: 5.3 g/l
pH: 3.6
Closure: Natural Cork

Tasting Note: The wine is mid to light garnet in colour. The nose is full of ripe dark and red fruit aromas, which combine with a delicate spiciness. The palate is full and rich complemented by good acidity and a velvety texture from the fine grained tannins. The finish is long with great persistence.