Mangiacane - Chianti Classico, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tuscany, Italy (2019)

TASTING NOTES

From a cooler vintage, this has quite high acidity for a Chianti from San Casciano. Bright, red and black fruits, such as cherry and summer berries, violets and sweet spices. Quite fresh on the palate with well-balanced tannins.

San Casciano in Val di Pesa is in the north-west of DOCG Chianti Classico. The area is hilly, with vineyards and olive groves located between 250 and 350 meters above sea level. The soils are mainly clay with limestone and sand, while the soil is rich in the skeleton with the presence of round pebbles of river origin and galestro and alberese stones.

Fermentation at controlled temperature not exceeding 27°. Maceration process in stainless steel tanks for about 14 days and ageing for 12 months in 35 hL Slavonian oak casks.

Glynn Cohen purchased Villa Mangiacane about 20 years ago — it was a deteriorated estate originally designed by Michelangelo and was the 15th-century country home of the Machiavelli family. In fact, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote the infamous political piece The Prince here. Due to the significance of the property, original building plans had been saved in Florence's Uffizi Gallery,

During World War II the villa served as a German military command and later as an Allied hospital.