il Conventino, Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, Italy (2018)

More classic & traditionally styled than last vintage with sandy tannins, elegance and a refreshing, long satisfying finish. Dusty black (plum, black cherry, blueberry) and red fruits (red cherry and raspberry) dominate the nose, but tertiary notes of leather, underbrush and smoke have developed during the extended barrel aging. Typical, lively Sangiovese acidity.

Made from 90% Sangiovese (locally called Prugnolo Gentile) with Colorino and Canaiolo grown at 350 metres above sea level. Vineyards employ both cordon and Guyot vine training to manage ripeness and yield. Yield is low at just 35 hl per ha, ensuring high quality and concentrated fruit.

All vinifications are done using native (wild) yeasts, which tend to produce more complexity that widely available commercial yeasts. There is a short maceration at controlled temperatures to extract colour, flavour and tannin from the grape skins. Aging is done for 30 months in large Slavonian oak barrels.

At the moment, the wine needs to be decanted for an hour for all these aromas and flavours to come out. With a few years of bottle age, this wine will be a meditative delight!

The name Il Conventino derives from a small convent from the 12th Century that Rolf and Ursula Dürrschmidt bought and renovated in the 1980s. Ursula Dürrschmidt Muller sold Il Conventino in spring 2003 to the Brini family–Pino, Duccio and Alessandro. Pino’s son, Alberto, who gave up a promising legal career, took over and currently runs the small estate.

The winery maintains 23 hectares of vineyards which have been farmed organically (and biodynamically) since 1995. Wild grasses and plants are cultivated between the rows to help provide organic matter and beneficial organisms to the soil. No chemical pesticides or fertilizers are needed as the vines are ridiculously healthy with great immunity to disease.

This is one of the top producers of Vino Nobile and one that should be on the radar of anyone looking for alternatives to Brunello and Chianti.