Fattorie Melini Chianti San Lorenzo 750 ML

Wild cherry, scorched earth and clove aromas lead the nose. Soft and simple, the palate offers ripe cherry and a hint of coffee alongside pliant, rather fleeting tannins.n n Producer Informationn n Cantine Melini is a Tuscan wine estate with vineyards in various parts of the region. It is most closely associated with Chianti and Chianti Classico, but makes a range of other wines. Other Tuscan wines include Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and modern Toscana IGT wines. An Orvieto white wine (from Umbria) is also made under the Melini banner. The estate began in 1705 in Pontassieve, a commune 14 kilometers (9 miles) east of Florence, where the Melini family established a winery and began producing Vermiglio wine. In 1860, Adolfo Laborel Melini began bottling the estate’s wines in the distinctive straw-wrapped Chianti bottles that later became synonymous with Chianti wines. The estate’s long history in Pontassieve came to an end in the 20th Century when it was acquired by Gruppo Italiano Vini. It was then relocated to Gaggiano in the Chianti Classico region. Today, Cantine Melini cultivates approximately 136 hectares (336 acres) of vineyards in Chianti Classico. Of these the most significant is La Selvanella vineyard, which covers 50ha (124 acres) of southwest-facing, calcareous soil slopes planted to Sangiovese vines. Is is the source of Cantine Melini’s Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva. The grapes for this wine are harvested by hand, macerated for 20 days and aged in French oak casks for approximately 30 months. Once bottled, this wine is allowed to age for a further 12 months before release. The La Selvanella vineyard is also noteworthy as it was one of the first to be vinified using specific parcels, and displaying the cru on the label. This change was initiated with the release of the 1969 Chianti Classico Vigneti La Selvanella Riserva vintage.