2018 Stefano Amerighi Syrah Cortona Tuscany

Stefano Amerighi may just produce the best Syrah in Italy. A lover of wine from the Rhône, Stefano chose Syrah over Tuscany’s classic Sangiovese, and there’s no doubt he made an excellent choice with both the grape and his vineyard site selection.

Chiuso di Cortona in southeastern Tuscany is the home to some of the best Syrah in the world. Stefano is the superstar of the region, producing wine from grapes grown in his biodynamic vineyard in Cortona’s countryside. This site is home to the scenes made famous in the book “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Maye. 

The region is truly magical. His vineyard is in an area of Cortona named Poggiobello di Farnet where there are two well-exposed hills to the south, south-east, closed within an old pebbly street to the west, a grove to the south, and a ridge to the east to close the panorama. Research confirmed the vineyard site was excellent for the selection of Syrah. Everything in the vineyard—which is densely planted to 7,000 vines per hectare—is natural and biodynamic. 

After harvest, some of the Syrah is left whole cluster and some undergo the traditional pressing method of foot-stomping. The juice goes into cement tanks where indigenous yeasts get to work fermenting. Stefano adds no sulfur nor does he control the temperature of the fermenting juice. He produces his desired-by-those-in-the-know Syrah only in exceptional vintages, ensuring that it’s the best Syrah produced in Italy with each bottling.

Aging: 14 months in wood and cement before being bottled without filtration or stabilization then aged for two and a half years in the bottle.

A robust aroma of dark fruits and herbs gives way to dark plum, black current, olive, herbs, minerality, tobacco, and white pepper.

Extremely captivating, it displays a feminine sensory profile rich in floral notes of lavender, hibiscus, flowering geraniums, magnolia and lime. In the background, the energy of the matrix gives shades of marine iodine, withered rose petals and ripe cherries. Medium-full body, fresh and lively on the palate it shows a savory and brilliant finish.Delicious right away but better from 2022.~95 Points, WinesCritic.com

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