A private car picks us up at the hotel and drives us to the Nipozzano Stronghold in the Chianti Rufina district (1 of 7 Chianti districts, and the highest elevation of them all). The Nipozzano estate is over 1,000 years old.  It is planted with 90% Sangiovese (the main varietal used in Chianti wine), and 10% split among Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot (these are the classic Bordeaux varietals). Nipozzano is owned by the Frescobaldi family, and we are warmly greeted by Giacomo Fani, Public Relations Manager for Marquesi de’ Frescobaldi. Upstairs a table is set and waiting for our arrival. We sit down to bread and olive oil as an estate server pours a white wine, Attems.   Douglas Attems was a co-founder of the area and the wine that bears his name has a wonderful nose, almost melted butter with floral aromas. It goes through 36 hours of maceration with the skins to produce the wonderful golden color. The olive oil that we dip our bread into is made here, pressed 12 hours after it is picked to preserve the flavor and quality. It is a wonderfully earthy and herbacious oil.

We discuss how each of the estates has its own vinification system, allowing there to be flavors and aromas captured in the bottle. The higher altitude of the Rufina district gives a fresher Sangiovese, and it also adds to the ageability of the wine. The Sangiovese at Nipozzano is planted in very dry soil.   Nipozzano translates to “no well”, and through over 200 years of winemaking the family has come to understand this wonderful indigenous grape. Sangiovese will swell up if it is given too much water which will cause it to lose much of its flavor. The vines are given just enough water to survive which has resulted in some of the most elegant Chianti available.

·     Pomino Bianco Vendemmia Tardiva 2007

The Pomino Bianco is an eloquent white blend of Chardonnay (70%), Pinot Bianco (10%), Pinot Grigio (10%), and Gewürztraminer (10%). It is crisp with nice apples and pear notes followed up with a curling citrus finish that lingers nicely with hints of melon.

·     Nipozzano Riserva 2007

The Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva 2007 is a traditional wine and a traditional grape of the highest quality that characterizes Nipozzano and the terroir. Deep and earthy with an intensely smooth introduction of dried cherry and wisps of smoke drawn in through the nose. The herbaceous notes on the palate impart a mélange of lavender, sage, thyme and rosemary, all of which grow in tufts near the lookout decks in the vineyards - A truly excellent Chianti.  The Pomino Bianco and the Nipozzano Riserva pair nicely with the eggplant dish, consisting of layered eggplant, tomato, pesto, and Pecorino.

·     Montesodi Riserva 2007

Montesodi is 100% Sangiovese from a single 24 acre vineyard planted in 1972. Referred to as “Tuscany in a glass”, this wine goes through a rigorous selection process before it ever gets to the bottle. Three passes through the vineyard where the grapes are handpicked berry for berry selection. The wine spends 24 months in new oak, much more time than a Chianti, resulting in a dazzling color not unlike a Brunello. If the vintage is not good enough, the wine is simply not made. As our host explained, “If the grape in the vineyard is not good, the wine will not be good.” Only 20,000 bottles of Montesodi are produced each year so if you find some, get all that you can carry!

·     Mormoreto 2007 25th Anniversary

This wine draws on several grapes that are traditionally found in French blends and is indeed comparable to an excellent Bordeaux. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Ripening for this vintage was slow and gradual with sunny days and cool nights. Each variety is vinified separately for 15 days, followed by 20 days of maceration on the skins. After the tanks, it spends 24 months in barriques and 6 months in the bottle. It relays the elegance of the estate and is an excellent expression of this style of wine. Smooth on the nose with nice fruit and a long finish.

·     Late Harvest 2007

A wonderful dessert wine with a great balance of sweet and aromatic complexity. Lingering pear, honey, peach and floral notes intoxicate the senses. This wine was paired with a fruit dish (peach custard with whipped cream, garnished with a sprig of mint and dusted with powdered sugar) rather than chocolate and proved to be a delectable finish to the lunch and wine tasting.

The Frescobaldi name holds a lot of juice, quite literally.  The 29th generation is at the helm of the family operation, the first generation dating back to 1250.  The Frescobaldi family built the first bridge, Santa Trinita (the bridge I see when I look to the left from my hotel window), in Florence that crossed the Arno River. Frescobaldi believes that food is imperative to appreciate the power of the wine. The family owns farms where cows and pigs and the like are raised specifically to showcase the pairing of food and wine. We will have the opportunity to see this operation fully realized tomorrow evening when we have dinner at the Frescobaldi Wine Bar, where the menu is the entire Frescobaldi portfolio of wines and an array of mouthwatering dishes made from their own farm-raised ingredients.

The Nipozzano estate is 350 meters above sea level. We drive up toward the Nipozzano vineyard (450 meters) and arrive at the Montesodi vineyard. Sloping valleys and rising mountains command the landscape beyond the set rows of Sangiovese. Maggio bushes break up the greenery with their bright yellow dress and ancient villas pepper the hillside, homes now to the workers who tend to the land. There is no irrigation here and the vines are just alive enough to produce grapes. Nipozzano’s soil is more clay-based and at 450 meters it is the highest elevation of all of the Chianti districts. We venture on, rising ever higher to Pomino.

Pomino DOC is 3,000 acres of property, 300 of which are vineyards. It offers the ideal height and exposure (southern) for white grapes. Pomino is 850 meters above sea level and the cypress and olive trees gave way to evergreens.  Castiglio al Pomino is a white stucco estate with a red tiled roof and an ancient sun dial looming over the courtyard. The estate is split to produce 50% wine and 50% wood for export. Up here, the air is much cooler and ideal for Pinot Noir. In 2006 DOC regulations changed to make it possible to produce a 100% Pinot Noir and Frescobaldi has one in the works, though it is not yet available. Castello di Pomino has a number of firsts under its belt; having the first gravity cellar built in Italy, having the first Burgundy varietal in Italy (Pinot Noir), and being the first monopoly DOC (solely owned by the Frescobaldi Family). Our tour winds through the drying rooms, tank rooms, and cellars, arriving in a large room with a grand fireplace where a table was set for another wine tasting.

·     Pomino Bianco 2007

The first vintage of the Pomino Bianco was 1973 and during a recent vertical tasting our host tells us that to nearly everyone’s surprise, it is still drinking fabulously. It shows a glorious gold and boasts a wonderful minerality along with fresh fruit. This is a surprising Chardonnay from the region that was one of the first recognized in Italian legislation as a desirable appellation, and the first to produce a white. In fact, Pomino has been producing for over 500 years, all estate with no outside sourcing. The Pomino Bianco spends 12 months in oak. A wonderful mouth feel.

·     Pomino Rosso 2006

The Rosso is a blend of Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Merlot, offering herbaceous tones with cooked cherry. A little pine and spice slide through the extremely complex nose. The body is subtle and delicate with incense and exotic spices on the finish. A perfect wine for game or spicy fare.

·     Vin Santo 2004

Vin Santo is air-dried by hanging in the rafters from September through February before it is pressed and aged for 4 years in French oak barrels. 50% evaporation makes the Vin Santo an extremely low yield and is a treasured blend of Malvasia, Pinot Bianca, Trebbiano, and Chardonnay. The nose picks up alcohol and orange rind with hints of brown sugar and oak, reminiscent of bourbon. It is weighty and beautiful on the tongue with a semi-sweet finish. Try serving Vin Santo as an aperitif rather than a dessert, pairing it with cheeses, marmalades and bread, or pastas. Serving dessert wines before the meal is coming up in a big way.

We departed from the Pomino estate with a firm understanding of what makes this terroir unique, and how innovation while retaining tradition is really starting to take hold in Italian winemaking. While Nipozzano has been producing wine for 500 years, only in the last 25 have they come to make truly great wines, expressions of the land and people and culture behind it.

The Frescobaldi Wine Bar is at the far end of the square around the corner from the Hotel degli Orafi. It is a small restaurant with a standing bar as you walk in. Beyond that there are two doorways, one that leads into the main dining room and the other that snaked around to the clink and clatter of the kitchen. We were seated at a table for four on one side of the room and watched as the abundance of empty tables filled up entirely within 15 minutes of our arrival - always a good sign. Everything was very impressive, from the chicken liver to the Bistecca Fiorentina served medium rare, a dinner I would recommend to everyone who makes it to Florence. Our selections from the Frescobaldi winelist went as follows.

·     Frescobaldi Brut

Done in Method Champenois method, this buscuity golden Brut was a perfect way to start off the meal. Champagne and sparkling wine pair with just about anything you can come up with, so if you are in doubt about what wine to put with a particular dish, pick up some bubbly. There was a nice toasted note to the wine, creamy on the palate.

·     Tenuta di Castiglioni 2008

Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc make up the blend.  More of a fruit-driven wine, the Tenuta matched well with the various risotto and vegetable dishes on the table. Cherry with creases of vanilla and darker fruits on the finish.

·     Giramonte 2007

80% Merlot, 20% Sangiovese.  The Giramonte was divine with the Bistecca Fiorentina, a traditional Florentine t-bone steak that easily serves 4 people.

We selected 4 grappa styles to sample between us along with some biscotti, panna cotta and slice of a dark chocolate creation. Of the 4 that we tried, 2 of them especially stood out, the Attems and the Luce. These are both oak aged, so the grappa takes on a burnt orange hue. The Luce is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Sangiovese. It is incredibly smooth with waves of vanilla and apricot in tow.