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Four Wines from Tenuta Vitalonga

Tenuta Vitalonga has been the dominion of the Maravalle family since its purchase by Luigi Maravalle in 1953. It is said his friends and family toasted him on his purchase, wishing him a long life - or vitalonga - and the name has stuck ever since. Today, Luigi's grandsons Gian Luigi and Pier Francesco have the reins, following in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents in cultivating the vine. Things have changed though; the current incumbents have perhaps a more modern approach than their forebears, and have enlisted the help of renowned Italian oenologist Riccardo Cotarella in making their wines.

Sandwiched between Siena, Florence and the other delights of Tuscany to the north, and Rome to the south, this Umbrian estate boasts 90 hectares of which 20 are planted to vines, some of the remainder being olive groves and woods of maple and oak trees. The vines themselves, some of which are very young having been planted recently by Gian Luigi and Pier Francesco, are largely Sangiovese and Montepulciano, together with lesser plantings of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The brothers have also established some new fermentation facilities, and augmented their domaine with a restaurant and guest accommodation.

The range of wines is not broad, featuring a rather solid style of rosé along with three red cuvées, these being Terra di Confine which features Montepulciano, Elcione which is a blend of Cabernet and Merlot, and finally a fruit-orientated Sangiovese named, curiously, Sangiòvese (note the accent). As the Maravalle family put it, this is a wine for "a young, elegant, avant-garde, open range generation." By far the best of these three reds is Terra di Confine, which manages to frame the dark fruit of the Montepulciano in an appropriately fresh and well-defined structure.

The team at Vitalonga recently sent me some samples of their wines to taste, and naturally I duly obliged. My notes are presented below. As usual I have included wine-searcher links for information on prices and stockists. (30/3/11)

Four Wines from Tenuta Vitalonga - Tasting Notes

Tasted in March 2011. Click for stockists.

Tenuta Vitalonga Rosé IGT (Umbria) 2009: A blend of Merlot and Cabernet, cold macerated for 48 hours and fermented in stainless steel. Bottled under synthetic closure. The long maceration gives a rather deeply coloured rosé hue. On the nose there is a rather rich, boiled sweet character to the fruits, with a deep cherry and strawberry character. And on the palate a rather robust feel to it, with a solid rather than vibrant or lifted fruit character. A touch of residual sugar here? Quite a big midpalate, with moderate acidity, reinforcing the rather substantial feel the wine has. The fruit character seems fairly muted in the mouth, despite having been there on the nose; it does open up given a little time though, showing a slightly medicinal cherry-strawberry style. 13/20

Tenuta Vitalonga Sangiòvese IGT (Umbria) 2009: Bottled under synthetic closure. A good depth of colour here, dark yet vibrant. On the nose there is plenty of bright and expressive fruit character, with a fresh, cherry-skin, cherry-stone edge. A soft entry, gently fleshy, with very withdrawn acidity, the backbone of the wine coming from a seam of gentle tannin. Beyond this there is rather an oily texture to it. And the fruit character here doesn't quite have the freshness the nose suggested, with a little raw grip to it in the middle. Unfussy drinking. 13.5/20

Tenuta Vitalonga Elcione IGT (Umbria) 2006: This is a blend of 50% each Merlot and Cabernet, fermented in stainless steel followed by six months in French barriques. The freshly poured wine carries a little chemical, paint-like bottle stink which thankfully blows off, leaving a rather muted nose of slightly sweet and high-toned yet anonymous red fruits. Nicely textured at the start, although with a surprising and rather spiky leanness coming through in the midpalate, sitting in support of that more superficial layer of cooked berry fruit. It has freshness, but it doesn't display a character that can readily be traced back to the varieties involved. 13/20

Tenuta Vitalonga Terra di Confine IGT (Umbria) 2007: Here Montepulciano dominates at 80%, with 20% Merlot, fermented in stainless steel followed by twelve months in French barriques. It is a darker wine than the Elcione, and the nose carries more interest, showing a rather smoky element, which may of course be wood-derived, with a layer of sweet fruit behind. There is perhaps even a little trace of black olive and juicy blackberry here. The palate is vibrant and fresh, showing just a little oiliness in the middle but also some bright fruit character, gentle tannins and appropriate acid. It certainly has a fresh and fairly well-defined feel, while remaining rather high-toned and moderately challenging, which I like. Overall an attractive wine. 15.5/20