Under The Tuscan Sun Case

The wine ferments in stainless steel during the first 15 days and is frequently pumped-over.

The estate's 8.5 hectares of specialised vineyards are planted with one single variety: Sangiovese Grosso. The various vineyards are of diverse age (2 to 30 years old) and density (3,500 to 4,500 vines per hectare). They are grown with the low spurred cordon method and produce less than 8 tons of grapes per hectare. Harvest takes place at the end of September / beginning of October and is entirely hand-picked ensuring a careful qualitative selection of grapes.

At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, the wine is first matured in stainless steel and then placed in barriques for 12 months. Subsequently it is moved to large 20-40 hl barrels where it rests for another 12 months. Therefore, as required by the regulations governing the production of Brunello, the wine spends 24 months in wood. After this period, the wine is left to refine in the bottle for a period of 10 months instead of the 4 months normally required for a classic Brunello. This extension is due to the unique characteristics of this product, which requires a longer period of evolution in the bottle.

Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Classico Tenuta Sant’Alfonso is one of the winery’s best-established wines and one of the two prestigious crus produced today with 100% Sangiovese grapes cultivated exclusively on the Sant’Alfonso estate. Based on the studies and experiments conducted in the vineyard, it emerged that the most clay-rich and least gravelly soils of this estate, combined with the use of specific clones of Sangiovese, caused the grapes to develop and mature with a higher concentration of polyphenols and aromatic substances. Chianti Classico Tenuta Sant’Alfonso is fermented using the most advanced techniques to preserve the grapes’ natural concentration.

Acquired in the same year as Le Macìe (1973), Tenuta Sant’Alfonso is composed of 125 hectares (309 acres), of which 36.5 (90 acres) are given over to vineyards (mainly Sangiovese, Colorino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) and 12.5 (31 acres) to olive groves. Average altitude: 850 - 557 feet above sea level. The soil type is Miocene deposits with a clayey-loamy texture, slightly alkaline.

After completing the fermentation, the wine is transferred to 35 hectolitres French oak barrels, where it ages for about one year. A period of rest in the bottle follows in order to allow the wine to harmonise before being released.

Ripe grapes, picked during the first ten days of October, are traditionally vinified by the red wine method, with controlled temperature vinification in stainless steel tanks.

The vineyards of Lunadoro are located in the area around Valiano, at about 332 meters a.s.l. The soils are clay and the climate is influenced from both the Val di Chiana and the Trasimeno Lake. This area benefits from a favourable wind exposure, which assures the gradual and complete ripening of the grapes. The vineyards (10 ha are cultivated with Sangiovese and 2 ha with Merlot and Petit Verdot) adopt the spur-trained system, obtained by the short pruning (2 buds) of a variable number of renewal spurs (about 4-5 spurs). Each hectare has a density of 5,000 plants and a yield of 7.5 tons of grapes. All the selection and production steps are carried out manually, in perfect harmony with the environment: from pruning to the choice of the best buds, from the control of the vegetation to the thinning out of bunches. The harvest is carried out only by hand and - during destemming - the grapes are selected to retain only those of the highest quality.

24 months with at least 12 months in 5 hl French tonneaux.

The grapes are vinified in their original areas of production and the fermentation is traditional with maceration of 16-23 days followed by racking and soft pressing.

The terrain is mostly composed of marl-based, lime-rich soil - that is low in organic compounds - and clay, the perfect medium for growing Sangiovese grapes, which make up most of the estate’s grape and wine production. A small portion of land is planted with Merlot. Sheltered by native holm oaks, the vineyards extend over hillsides that are swept by winds from the sea and the mountains, creating the perfect microclimate for cultivating grapes, which are grown to organic standards – a decision that is becoming an increasingly important part of the company’s philosophy. The training system is simple cordon and guyot. Density is 4,500 plants per hectare, with a yield of 4.5-5 tons per hectare. Harvest is entirely by hand during the second half of September.

The wine spends 6 months in stainless steel tanks and 3 months in the bottle before being released.

A classical red wine vinification is utilized followed by a period of maceration (skin contact) of about 10 days to extract the right balance of fruit and colour.

Renzo Masi's Chianti is made from a combination of estate fruit and purchased fruit from the Rufina district, one of the best areas of Chianti. It is produced for early drinkability but can also be cellared for a few years.

The wine completes its malolactic fermentation in the weeks following the racking. Before its release, it rests in bottle for at least three months.

The best bunches of Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia del Chianti and Chardonnay grapes are selected and then dried up on mats or dangled from rafters in an airy rooms. Here the grapes (which turn to raisins) stay until the end of January/beginning of February, when they are crushed. The very sweet must that is thus obtained, is transferred to ferment and age in French and Slavonian small oak barrels ("caratelli"), part of which are new. Some barrels receive the "mother" from a previous vintage, while others do not.

From vineyards owned by the family in Rufina ("Fattoria di Basciano") and from other long-established vineyards situated around Rufina.

Renzo Masi Vin Santo is released after four years of ageing.