Sensi Vin Santo del Chianti DOC 2010 (500mL)

Vin Santo del Chianti DOC was established as a legal appellation since 1997. To make sweet wines from Malvasia and Trebbiano Toscano varieties. Occasionally Sangiovese is also used, to make pink Vin Santo. The production is rather small. At the moment, about 100 hectares of vineyard in Tuscany are dedicated to make this style.

Grapes are harvested healthy, then they are kept in warm, well ventilated rooms that allow the moisture in the grape to evaporate. The room is traditionally known as Vinsantaia. This process of desiccation allows the sugars in the grape to be more concentrated. The longer the grapes are allowed to dry and desiccate, the higher the resulting residual sugar levels will be in the wine. Typically the process ends by December, but traditionalist winemakers often hang the grapes until March of next year. (One theory is that the wine in old times is fermented during the holy week, thus called Vin Santo.)

For this product of Sensi from 2010 harvest, the wine had 4 months berry drying before pressing and ageing in oak for 3 years.

The oak casks are known as Caratelli, typically small 50 Liter volume, neutral in flavour. They are used specially to make Vin Santo, and contains rather thick deposit of yeast, local winemakers call such ‘Madre’, means ‘mother’. One pressed into the barrels, syrupy must would soon start ferment from the influence of Madre, no additional yeast need to be added. Fermentation naturally stops when the alcohol level reaches to 15%, but the sugar is far from depletion.

3 years of ageing means the sweet wine would gain flavours from dead (some alive) yeast cells, development of Acetaldehyde, controlled oxygenation. Adding to its original concentrated fruity aroma, forming a wine of extreme complexity, utterly enchanting indulgence on tongue. Resembling sun-dried mango, fig, sultana, walnut, almond, hazelnut, roasted sunflower seeds, honey, best of balsamic vinegar, fermented olives, baked taro, baked sweet potato.

Traditionally the wine is consumed alongside with Cantucci, a Tuscan almond cookie.  But feel free to try match it with other sweet bakery treats.