Vallepicciola Toscana Rosso 2021 (750ML)

Vallepicciola gives its Toscana Rosso a staged élevage: roughly 20 months in barriques, half of them new, followed by three months in cement and six in bottle. The 2021 is 100% Sangiovese from the Fontanelle vineyard at 450 meters, where limestone, clay and marl soils carry vines on spurred cordon at 5,000 plants per hectare. The vineyard is still young, and there is real interest in what it will give as the vines mature. Already the wine is bright and precise: red fruit, pomegranate and orange peel up front, then fresh mint, spice and a touch of new leather. It moves briskly across the palate, favoring energy over weight. It is drinking now, with critics looking to the early 2030s. Grilled Italian sausages, a wood-fired margherita or ribollita all work well beside it.