Fattoria Di Sammontana, Primo Fuoco, Bianco Toscana, Italy

Fattoria di Sammontana has a long history, dating back to the Medici family. But it was bought in the mid nineteenth century by Michele Dzieduszycki, a Polish nobleman and it is his family that has carried on the tradition of wine growing and olive farming. The current team is Daniele and Andrea Dzieduszycki with Dario Geri. All of the grapes are estate-grown, the vineyards located all around the farm. The soils are pretty consistent around most parcels - limestone and an alluvial influence, very stony, gravelly, a soil where not much else but vines and olive trees can thrive. The farming has been organic since the first generation in the 1860’s (though officially certified since 2012), and biodynamic across all 16 hectares since 2012.
Primo Fuoco is the initial clay firing that leads to the creation of terracotta, and that is exactly what this wine matures in, a single fired terracotta amphora. The grapes are harvested and stored in the amphora with their skins for 3 months, the juice is then drawn off, the skins removed and the juice returned to the amphora for a further 6 months maturation and then bottled unfined and unfiltered. Often described as complex you can find a good structure with mineral or salty savoury notes and tones of dried fruits and an acidic dry finish.