Bacchus Vintage: Castello Brolio, Barone Ricasoli

For me this was the visit of the holiday. It was a fantastic visit for many reasons, but particularly because we got to meet the agronomist who showed us around the vineyard and explained all the various experiments they were doing with clonal selection and pruning. For anyone planning a trip to Brolio, this is part of the "Experimental vineyard tour" and is well worth doing. On their website it says that they will only do this for groups of 9 or more. There were only 7 of us in our group but we managed to convince them to let us onto the tour anyway. It may well have been harder to convince them to do this if we were visiting in the height of the tourist season though, but I'd seriously recommend you try.

There is some seriously high-tech equipment in the vineyard. As well as the usual sensors, rain gauges etc, there is what we nick-named 'robovine'.

This was a vine in the middle of the vineyard with sensors all over it. These sensors communicate with some central database by wifi, recording all aspects of the microclimate from precisely where the grapes are.

Another reason the visit was fantastic is the immense history associated with the estate. The castle was built in the middle ages and is a genuine castle, rather than a cool-sounding name. Also, Barone Ricasoli was the a bit of a polymath and, as well as being Prime Minister of Italy (twice), he was responsible for the creation of the first Chianti Wine "recipe". Finally, the grounds of the castle as the view you can see are fantastically beautiful (although this seems to be a bit of a theme for Tuscan wineries).

The Tasting
1. Torricella IGT, 2007
100% Chardonnay
Medium bodied, Quite high acid. Alcohol not noticeable on palate. Some oak influence. Medium intensity aromas and palate of green apples and melons. Medium length. Very good

2. Castello di Brolio, 2005
Chianti Classico DOCG
Dark fruits, oak and violets on the nose. Medium-high acid and tannin. Full bodied. Long, with a smooth, fruity finish. Excellent. Can drink now with food, but will clearly age.

As I understand it, this wine is more of a premium wine than the Brolio, but is not made as a Chianti Classico Riserva. Or at least it is not referred to as a Riserva.

3. Casalferro IGT, 2004
30% Merlot, 70% Sangiovese
Opaque ruby colour. Medium-high intensity aromas of black fruit, smoke, tobacco and black plums. Full bodied with high acid and high tannin. In balance, but still pretty aggressive right now. Intense black fruit on palate - almost like fruit sauce reduction. Needs time, but will be fantastic.

4. Granello IGT, 2007
Sauvignon Blanc late harvest. (plus a little gewurtz - I think)
Pale yellow. Grape and grapefruit on the nose. Sweet, full bodied and acidic. More floral on the palate than on the nose. Concentrated, long and with a crisp refreshing finish. Very good.