2010 La Ricolma

So many of Tuscany’s most famous wines achieved their vaunted status by accident. That is the case with San Guido’s Sassicaia, which for several decades was made solely for the Incisa della Rocchetta family’s home consumption. In 1978, Piero Antinori had more Cabernet Sauvignon than he needed for his Tignanello, so he bottled it separately. That wine became Solaia. Masseto was an experimental wine when it was first produced in 1986 as Il Merlot dell’Ornellaia. What about San Giusto a Rentennano’s Merlot La Ricolma? Well, it turns out La Ricolma has a pretty interesting story too. This complete vertical of La Ricolma was the first ever complete retrospective ever held at the estate.

In 2011 proprietor Luca Martini di Cigala picked his Sangiovese in two passes, but today thinks the earlier picks were better. We will see. Martini di Cigala describes 2010 as very damp in May and June, while July and August signaled a return to more favorable weather. Rain returned during harvest, but it is timing that counts, and on that count things turned out much better than say 2005, when late-season rains had a big effect on the vintage. According to Martini di Cigala, one of the characteristics of 2010 was that there was little moisture on the plants in the mornings which eased disease pressure, as opposed to 2013, for example, when summer mornings have seen quite a bit of dew and overall moisture. Martini di Cigala concludes by adding that maturation was very gradual and even in 2010. As for the wines, well, they are spectacular, it is as simple as that. For more on San Giusto, readers may enjoy taking a look at this complete vertical of Percalo from our Archive.