Querceto
Description
Querceto Super Tuscan 2009. Cignale Toscana, Tuscany, Italy. The 2009 Cignale shows a dark, inky color with brooding aromas of dried blackberry, crushed granite, leather and dark spice. Earthy dark flavors of black truffle and crushed pepper are tightly embedded within the wine’s firm texture. It’s approachable now but has the structure for longer aging.
Notes from the Winemaker:
This deep crimson to garnet, extract-loaded wine expresses the power, concentration and longevity of its terroir to the full, fine-tuned by carefully orchestrated vinification and élevage. For Cabernet Sauvignon, harvest takes place towards the end of October. The Merlot is picked in early to mid-October. The grapes are collected in small boxes and transported to the winery for immediate de-stemming and pressing. Only 65% of the free-run juice is used, and parts of the press-run are then blended back into the mass. Fermentation takes approximately 21 days. The resulting wine goes through full malolactic and is racked 6 times over the first 12 months. New and 12-month-old French barriques are employed, where Cignale ages for approximately 18 to 24 months. Altogether, the wine is not released until 3 to 4 years from harvest date. Quantities are minuscule, and cellar life is up to twenty years. Cignale has offered consistent quality from vintage to vintage, and met with correspondingly unbroken success. Deep, dark ruby in color; spicy bouquet of cedarwood, black cherry, wild strawberry, black currant, subtle notes of well integrated new oak. On the palate, rich, harmonious, concentrated, powerful and intense, beautifully structured, with polished tannins and a long, silky finish. Cellar life is up to 20 years.