Complying with our usual request “tell us of your wine as if it was a person” Filippo Rossi has no doubts, his Sangiovese is a determined, strong, charming male who loves standing out. We were probably expecting that. What did surprise us, was learning about this thirty something years old keen on exploring a long road of opportunities ahead while travelling the world. This Sangiovese is challenging the comfort zone, leaving behind its home territory and beautiful castle, seeking for adventures and chances to affirm itself.
The Castello di Ripa d’Orcia (Castele of Ripa d’Orcia) Winery is located in Castiglione d’Orcia, Val d’Orcia (Siena, Tuscany).
The vineyards are 300 meters above the sea level, south-west facing. All the plants are grown with cordon trained, spur pruned.
To produce Terre di Sotto (Sangiovese 100%) the grapes are thoroughly selected during a late-September harvest. The fermentation starts in steal containers with a controlled room temperature. The ageing takes place partly in 35 hectolitre oak barrels and partly in 5 hectolitre tonneaux, this process allows the soft tannins expression typical of mature Sangiovese. Eighteen months after the harvest, the wine is bottled and aged for a further 6 months. The Terre di Sotto is ruby red with purple shades. It has a good structure, complex and fully persistent flavour, spicy notes with red fruits intensity. The average yearly production is 5,000 bottles.
The Castello di Ripa d’Orcia vineyards grow at the feet of the castle, surrounded by woodland and mediterranean vegetation, all within the unadulterated ecosystem of Val d’Orcia. The soil is treated organically, preserving in this way the primal balance between all natural components, animal, mineral and vegetal. Working closely with nature in an uncomplicated yet respectful manner allows the earth’s energy to generate healthy and uncontaminated grapes. This dedication is then followed by a careful, unobtrusive work in the cellar, crucial for the expression of a unique terroir’s elegance and complexity.
