Ampio delle Mortelle 2018

The vineyards of Fattoria Le Mortelle extend not far from the Tyrrhenian coast, behind the Gulf of Follonica, in the Tuscan Maremma. The Antinori family have carried out a restructuring of the vineyards since 1999 and have equipped the estate with a modern and efficient underground cellar. The warm and dry territory of the Maremma has proved suited for the Bordeaux black grape varieties, in particular Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc and Carmenère. The latter scarcely grown in Bordeaux, but it made the success of Chilean wines and proves to have great potential in warmer conditions compared to those of Bordeaux. The Mistral wind and the daily temperature range that occur in September favor the development of the flavor compounds, that are typical of these varieties.

After having made two successful red wines such as Botrosecco, based on Cabernet sauvignon, and Poggio alle Nane, based on Cabernet franc, in 2015 it was time for Le Mortelle to produce an exclusive label with an accurate selection of the best grapes of the estate. Thus was born the “grand vin” of Fattoria Le Mortelle, called “Ampio”: a very successful blend of Bordeaux varieties.

The harvest is manual in small boxes and separated by variety. The grapes are subjected to a double selection on a sorting table. Only perfect berries end up by gravity in the conical stainless steel vats, where alcoholic fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature. During maceration, punching down is carried out to facilitate extraction from the skins. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrique and ages in new French barriques for 18 months. Once the final blend has been made, the wine ages in the bottle for another year.