Poggio Cennina BORGO CENNINA Tuscany IGT

This is one of the most exciting estates to have emerged from Italy in recent years. Its pedigree is faultless: the Allegrini family from Verona teamed up with their U.S. importer, Leonardo Lo Cascio and bought land in Bolgheri, where they now have 30 hectares of vineyard planted.T hey hired consultant Alberto Antonini to advise them on viticulture and winemaking. 'W' was named after Walter Allegrini, brother of Franco and Marilisa Allegrini and this 100% Cabernet Franc is produced from just two rows of vines covering 0.5 hectares in the Via Bolgherese vineyard. The vineyard faces west-southwest, with coarse red sand, stones and clay soil and is situated at just 50m above sea level. After de-stemming and soft pressing with partial rupture of the berries, fermentation took place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at 30°C. Alberto advised frequent 'delestage' or rack and return, as well as punching down the cap, to extract good colour and ripe tannins. Post-fermentation maceration took place because the tannins were so ripe. Finally, the wine was aged in 100% new French barriques for 18 months and spent at least four months in bottle prior to release. Intense ruby red in colour, with perfumes of spiced, red fruits and nicely balanced toasty oak. On the palate the wine has excellent structure, with ripe fruit and sweet, soft tannins. It is full-bodied and well balanced, with a long, elegant finish. Limited Availability. (6 x 75 cl)

This is one of the most exciting estates to have emerged from Italy in recent years. Its pedigree is faultless: the Allegrini family from Verona teamed up with their U.S. importer, Leonardo Lo Cascio and bought land in Bolgheri, where they now have 30 hectares of vineyard planted. They hired consultant Alberto Antonini to advise them on viticulture and winemaking. 100% Vermentino this is a deep straw yellow in colour, it is fine and clean on the nose, with floral and fruity perfumes characteristic of Vermentino including white flowers, apricot and tropical fruits. On the palate, it is dry and fresh, with good balance between fruit and a fresh zippy acidity. (12 x 75 cl)

The grapes are harvested by hand and are fermented at a controlled temperature for 27 days. 30% of the wine is then aged in barriques for 10 months. There follows a period of bottle ageing before the wine is released. (6 x 75 cl)

Poggio Antico is located in Montalcino, a small town in Tuscany about fifty kilometers south of Siena. The earliest written records of the estate date from the beginning of the 19th century, when the present boundaries were marked. At that time, the estate consisted of woodland, grassland, and three stone houses. The development of Poggio Antico started in the late 1970s, when electricity was brought in, vineyards were planted, and construction of the wine cellar began. The estate was purchased in 1984 by current owners Giancarlo and Nuccia Gloder, originally from Milan, who had fallen in love with the wines of Montalcino and the unique geographical position of Poggio Antico. These are exciting times for Poggio Antico with the release of Madre a brand new 'Supertuscan' red wine produced by Poggio Antico. Its first vintage, 2001, received a very positive reception at the preview presentation at Vinitaly in Verona in April 2003. The name 'Madre' comes from the homonymous property, which has always been part of the Poggio Antico estate. This location is facing south-southwest and it is well protected from the northern winds and consequently from the risk of late frosts. Its position (6 x 75 cl)

Gianpaolo Paglia, an agronomist born and bred in Maremma, and Justine Keeling, an English marketing manager, bought the estate in 1997. They started making Morellino di Scansano , with the existing 6 Ha of old and high quality producing vineyards, whilst at the same time planting new vineyards using local varieties such as Sangiovese and Alicante. Additionally, they also built an modern winery and warehousing in 2002. Poggio Argentiera has emerged as one of Scansano's best wineries and it is today composed of two estates situated in two different areas of Tuscany's Maremma, near the town of Grosseto. At Podere Adua there is the head office, cellar as well as the winery and it is close to the Maremma Natural Park, in the coastal region of Grosseto. The second estate, Podere Keeling, is found in the hilly area to the North of the Scansano district, towards Monte Amiata. Made from a 50/50 split of Alicante and Syrah, the wine was fermented completely in small, open French oak barrels aged more than three years. Malolactic fermentation and maturation in second and third use barrels , for between 16 and 18 months, followed by 8 months in bottle before release. Finisterre is an original Mediterranean blend with a strong personality. The two varieties, Alicante and Shiraz, show notes of liquorice, chocolate and olive oil tomatoes. This is wonderfully drinkable wine, with a bold structure, superb freshness and intriguing complexity. (6 x 75 cl)

Vanilla spice with smooth, silky edges, and black-cherry fruit characters. (6 x 75 cl)

Again the grapes are hand harvested and fermented at a controlled temperature. Most of the malolactic fermentation takes place in new barriques. The wine is aged for 24 months in barriques followed by a lengthy period of bottle ageing (6 x 75 cl)

Poggio Antico is located in Montalcino, a small town in Tuscany about fifty kilometers south of Siena. The earliest written records of the estate date from the beginning of the 19th century, when the present boundaries were marked. At that time, the estate consisted of woodland, grassland, and three stone houses. The development of Poggio Antico started in the late 1970s, when electricity was brought in, vineyards were planted, and construction of the wine cellar began. The estate was purchased in 1984 by current owners Giancarlo and Nuccia Gloder, originally from Milan, who had fallen in love with the wines of Montalcino and the unique geographical position of Poggio Antico. The 1980 Brunello di Montalcino was the first wine in Italy to obtain the D.O.C.G. appellation . The D.O.C.G. is the most prestigious classification of wine in Italy. As a result, only specialised and authorised vineyards can produce Brunello di Montalcino and a series of rules regarding production must be observed. Four years of total ageing are required for Brunello. For more than a century Brunello was aged three of these four years in wood, but as from the 1995 vintage this requirement was reduced to two years. Nevertheless, at Poggio Antico they continue to respect the traditional method for our classic Brunello, keeping it three years in large oak barrels. Brunello must be produced with 100% Sangiovese grapes and a minimum of 12.5% alcohol by volume is required. Total acidity cannot be lower than five parts per thousand. At Poggio Antico the alcohol content, total acidity, and dry extract always reach optimum levels, thanks to low yields and the favourable geographical position of its vineyards. Poggio Antico's Brunello di Montalcino is typically deep and intense ruby red in colour. The bouquet is well developed and persistent, and increases in intensity with further bottle ageing. It has a very clean nose, with hints of blackberry and licorice. In the mouth it is rounded and concentrated, with great vitality, yet elegant and harmonious, thanks to the particularly sweet tannins. It has a very long finish and ages gracefully under proper conditions. (12 x 75 cl)

Poggio Antico is located in Montalcino, a small town in Tuscany about fifty kilometers south of Siena. The earliest written records of the estate date from the beginning of the 19th century, when the present boundaries were marked. At that time, the estate consisted of woodland, grassland, and three stone houses. The development of Poggio Antico started in the late 1970s, when electricity was brought in, vineyards were planted, and construction of the wine cellar began. The estate was purchased in 1984 by current owners Giancarlo and Nuccia Gloder, originally from Milan, who had fallen in love with the wines of Montalcino and the unique geographical position of Poggio Antico. As per the D.O.C.G. regulations, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva must be aged for a total of five years as opposed to four required for the regular Brunello, while the Brunello Riserva Poggio Antico is only produced in exceptional vintages. In those years the grapes from the oldest and lowest altitude vineyard are processed and aged separately. The Poggio Antico Riserva then spends three and a half years in wood; the first year of ageing takes place in 500-liter French tonneaux while the remaining ageing is in new Slavonian oak barrels. The wine is then bottle aged for one and a half years before release to complete the mandatory five years of total ageing. The result is a mature, round and complex wine. The rather limited production of Brunello Riserva usually averages 18,000 bottles and due to its characteristics, it is a wine for which further bottle aging is encouraged. The Riserva is an intense ruby red, with garnet hues. Its bouquet is usually evolved and austere, with hints of wild berries, leather, and roasted coffee. In the mouth it has a fully developed rich structure, and is very elegant and smooth thanks to its rich tannins. It is extremely well balanced and rounded, with a persistent silky finish.