2003 Ciliegiolo San Lorenzo

Sassotondo, located in the inner part of Maremma, is a unique property in the region, as it has chosen to emphasize the native Ciliegiolo over more conventional varietals. “Although we don't have a significant amount of experience with how the wines age, our recent tasting of older vintages such as 1997 show that the wines have held up quite well,” says consulting oenologist Attilio Pagli. The vineyards, which are farmed according to biological principles, sit on poor soils of volcanic origin.

Just how convinced are owners Carla Benini and Edoardo Ventimiglia of the intrinsic qualities of the ciliegiolo grape? So much that in the 2005 vintage they have upped the ciliegiolo by another 10% in their basic Sassotondo bottling, to 90% of the blend. "This way, the law says we can put ciliegiolo on the label," said Ventemiglia. "It's our flag: we were the first to believe it to be a high-quality variety, and although not everyone is convinced, I see that even those who scoff are planting it." In rain-plagued years like 2002, the ciliegiolo holds up much better than sangiovese, and the 2002 San Lorenzo bottling is one of the best Tuscan wines of the year-this despite the fact that the area around Pitigliano is cooler than any on the coast, with a climate not unlike that of Chianti. "Ciliegiolo ripens almost 15 days before sangiovese, and it rarely drops its acidity, which is naturally quite high," notes Ventimiglia. Already farming organically, Sassotondo may turn to biodynamic agriculture in the near future. Also recommended: 2003 Numerosei Maremma Bianco (85).