Giovanna’s wine is made to the rhythms of nature, according to terroir and the vintage. As with many organic growers, the objective is not to please or seduce the critics (particularly the American ones), but to present a wine that is true and authentic.
The nose is fresh with enticing red and black fruit, balsamic notes and wet earth; the palate is elegant, structured and dark with velvety tannins. Decant a good hour before enjoying it. This deep and complex wine is an absolute treasure and will only get better with age.
PODERE LE BONCIE, CASTELNUOVO BERARDENGA, Tuscany
Organic, natural
Giovanna Morganti is recognised as one of the best of the new generation of Tuscan winemakers. Her small estate is only three hectares, she makes 2 wines, '5' and “Le Trame” (the intrigue) signifying the wheeling and dealing required to purchase the land.Giovanna’s father was a legendary winemaker who believed in Tuscan varietals long before the flying oenologists identified this area as super pay-dirt. She studied oenology herself and went to work in the mid 1980s for San Felice wines in Castelnuovo Berardenga, near Siena, on a project to plant around 300 traditional Tuscan grape varietals collected from old vineyards.
When Giovanna’s father gave her a small farm with olive groves, called Le Boncie, she added a vineyard planted with her favourites from the experimental project – Sangiovese, obviously, but also Ciliegolo, Colorino, Fogliatonda, Mammolo and Prugnolo. Le Trame is released a year later than most winemakers.
Planted to a very high density, 7000 vines per hectare, the vineyard is primarily Sangiovese, with a few rows of Fogliatonda for blending. Fermentation takes place in traditional open-topped wooden tanks. Gambero Rosso comments on Le Trame’s “great, and on occasion sublime, fruit”, and Giovanna’s “traditional values & modern technique”.