San Polino Tasting with Owner Katia Nussbaum

 

The winery is fully biodynamic and committed to sustainability. San Polino’s 10-odd-hectares divide roughly equally into a cooler and more exposed northern section that has more generous soils. This is the home of the Rosso and much of the Brunello. On the slope, with meagre but complex soils that derive from volcanic activity some 180,000 years ago, is the Helichrysum vineyard. This is named after the plant that decorates the hedgerows and, to some extent, is allowed to thrive amongst the vines. San Polino is a pioneer in many projects aimed at sustainability in the vineyard.

Perhaps the most notable is the planting of trees, mainly Tuscan Field Maple, both at the limits of the vineyard and amongst the vines. As well as providing shade during heat spikes, this serves as a habitat for the soil organisms, especially fungi, that we are learning to be so vital to the health and longevity of many plant species. 

Wines are hand harvested and fermented separately, taking care to isolate natural yeasts from each plot. Cold maceration and fermentation on skins is followed by gentle pressing and maturation in large oak barrels. For the Riserva, some new French oak barrels are used. Wines are racked and lees from each ferment are mixed and redistributed evenly.

£155.00 (IB) per case of 6 (PRE-RELEASE OFFER PRICE)

Noticeably paler but still with that dark, almost black core. Black cherry, ground pepper, steel mineral. Good volumes in the end given the rains that filled out the smaller and more backward berries. Little lower in alcohol than is usual (13, not 14%). Dark chocolate, cherry skin and with fair length. Well integrated. Katia says this is good with vegetarian dishes!

 

£300.00 (IB) per case of 6 (PRE-RELEASE OFFER PRICE)

Sweeter, more open, ripe bramble and cassis. Perfumed, almost aromatic and attractive to smell. Bolder and yet more intense on the palate with firm tannins, fine acidity, grape skin and ripe cherry fruit with a hint of savoury.

 

£350.00 per 6 in bond (PRE-RELEASE OFFER PRICE)

Broader, rounded a little less uplifting, inkier, brooding and needing that much more time in bottle. Shy now but it’s concentrated and there’s plenty going on.

£84.99 per bottle

Lighter, more perfume, refined, floral and red fruit notes. There is still a hint of that inky, earthy note from the Tuscan soil that gives a lovely balance and gourmet note to this excellent red.

£79.99 per bottle

The most intense but, strangely the most youthful of the trio on the nose. There’s only a hint of reduction but, on the tongue, I can feel a strip of intensity that is waiting to expand through the palate given some time in bottle. Again, fruits are ripe and very much bramble and black cherry here.

£110.00 per bottle

Touch of chalky truffle to the nose as well as the sweet vanilla shaving of new oak. Feels more one dimensional than Helichrysum but that maybe as the fruits here are so much stronger. Sumptuous blackberry and cassis with a note of graphite too.

£99.00 per bottle | TASTING OFFER - 3 for £275 including delivery

Another conundrum as the nose is developed, showing savoury, biscuit, hazelnuts and melba toast overlaid with delicate red cherry. The palate is generous with layered acai and grape skin fruits that have more ripening to do in a bottle. Very fine acids will keep this a long time. To the nose this appears to be approaching its drinking time, to the mouth it needs another decade. I’ll go with the mouth on this occasion!