Poderi Melini Chianti Superiore San Lorenzo 2024 750ml

ITALY : TUSCANY : CHIANTI

Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

MED-BODIED, RED CHERRY, RASPBERRY, VIOLET, ALMOND, OAK

Podere San Lorenzo sits on the historic border between Chianti and Chianti Classico at 330 metres, ringed by a self-seeding cypress grove old enough to be a protected Nature Reserve. The soil is tufo senese, a yellow-ochre Pliocene sand packed with marine fossils, and the producer credits that ancient seabed for the wine's savory, saline lift.

Winemaker Alessandro Zanette gives the fruit three to four days of cold maceration before fermentation, then ages it just four to five months in cask with a small part in barrique. The short time in wood is the point: it keeps the raspberry and violet forward rather than burying them.

2024 was the cool, wet answer to a run of hot Tuscan vintages, and the chilly nights through harvest held the acidity together. This drinks brighter and more cherry-driven than recent releases. Wine Review Online 89 pts.

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