WHAT

Trebbiano, Malvasia, Sangiovese

WHEN

2009

WHERE

Gaiole in Chianti, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy

Castello di Meleto has stood at the edge of Gaiole in Chianti since at least 1256, when it was recorded as a fortified stronghold. The estate now covers 2,600 acres including 400 acres of vineyards at 390-400 metres above sea level on soils rich in Alberese, Arenaria, and Galestro. Vin Santo is the most traditional wine in their portfolio — made the way it has been made in Chianti for centuries.

The grapes — 90% Trebbiano, 5% Malvasia, 5% Sangiovese — are hand harvested and then hung vertically in the estate's vinsantaia, a well-ventilated drying room where they shrivel slowly over months, concentrating sugars and flavour. The dried grapes are then pressed and the juice fermented and aged in small 50-litre oak caratelli barrels sealed with wax, left in a room exposed to the changing seasons for 4-5 years. Amber-gold, with aromas of dried apricot, honey, vanilla, toasted almond, and caramel. Full, silky, and round on the palate with well-balanced acidity and a long persistent finish. Serve with cantucci, aged cheese, or foie gras.