Badia a Passignano
Climate
After an autumn and winter characterized by mild temperatures and frequent rains, spring began with similar climatic conditions, leading to a slight delay in the bud break of the vines and of the successive phases of flowering and bud set. The months of May and June were a bit cool compared to historic seasonal averages, while July and August were warm and dry, without however touching excessive peaks of heat. Temperature swings between daytime heat and evening and nighttime coolness assisted the Sangiovese grapes in achieving excellent ripeness. The picking of the crop, slightly later than in previous vintages, was carried out entirely by hand, separating both in the vineyard and in the cellar the various vineyard plots in order to fully maintain the special characteristics and nuances of each and every Sangiovese parcel.
Vinification
After the destemming of the bunches, the grapes were carefully selected and then given a soft pressing, The fermentation lasted ten days, and the must then remained in contact with the skins for a further ten to twelve day period. After being run off its skins, the wine went immediately into oak barrels, where by the end of the year it underwent a complete and spontaneous malolactic fermentation. After being racked, the wine went into Hungarian oak barrels, where it aged for approximately twelve months. During this lengthy phase, the various lots were constantly controlled and tasted to fully bring out their potential of evolution and then blended together at the end of the aging period. The wine was bottled at the estate and given a period of bottle aging before commercial release.
Historical data
Badia a Passignano Gran Selezione is produced exclusively from the finest Sangiovese grapes harvested from its namesake vineyard located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. The region has been respected and appreciated for its outstanding wine production since the year 1000. The vineyards grow at an altitude of approximately 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level on soils rich in limestone with a fair amount of clay. The wine is aged in the historic cellars under the Badia (abbey) of Passignano that dates back to the 10th century.
Tasting Notes
An intense ruby red in color, the wine shows aromas of a grand initial impact, highly pleasurable in their expression of a powerful typicality and varietal identity. Smoky notes of red fruit predominate along with sensations of underbrush and of oak, never excessive this latter and always fully respectful of the wine. On the palate, in addition to a body of absolute balance, the 2013 Badia a Passignano offers much personality with its firm tannins, still in evidence, characteristics of its youth but also of its territory. Excellent the length and persistence and the flavor finesse.
Awards
Antonio Galloni 94/100 USA Wine Spectator 95/100 USA
The Wine
Badia a Passignano Gran Selezione is produced exclusively from the finest Sangiovese grapes harvested from its namesake vineyard located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. The region has been respected and appreciated for its outstanding wine production since the year 1000. The vineyards grow at an altitude of approximately 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level on soils rich in limestone with a fair amount of clay. The wine is aged in the historic cellars under the Badia (abbey) of Passignano that dates back to the 10th century.
Climate
After an autumn and winter characterized by mild temperatures and frequent rains, spring began with similar climatic conditions, leading to a slight delay in the bud break of the vines and of the successive phases of flowering and bud set. The months of May and June were a bit cool compared to historic seasonal averages, while July and August were warm and dry, without however touching excessive peaks of heat. Temperature swings between daytime heat and evening and nighttime coolness assisted the Sangiovese grapes in achieving excellent ripeness. The picking of the crop, slightly later than in previous vintages, was carried out entirely by hand, separating both in the vineyard and in the cellar the various vineyard plots in order to fully maintain the special characteristics and nuances of each and every Sangiovese parcel.
Vinification
After the destemming of the bunches, the grapes were carefully selected and then given a soft pressing, The fermentation lasted ten days, and the must then remained in contact with the skins for a further ten to twelve day period. After being run off its skins, the wine went immediately into oak barrels, where by the end of the year it underwent a complete and spontaneous malolactic fermentation. After being racked, the wine went into Hungarian oak barrels, where it aged for approximately twelve months. During this lengthy phase, the various lots were constantly controlled and tasted to fully bring out their potential of evolution and then blended together at the end of the aging period. The wine was bottled at the estate and given a period of bottle aging before commercial release.
Historical data
Badia a Passignano Gran Selezione is produced exclusively from the finest Sangiovese grapes harvested from its namesake vineyard located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. The region has been respected and appreciated for its outstanding wine production since the year 1000. The vineyards grow at an altitude of approximately 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level on soils rich in limestone with a fair amount of clay. The wine is aged in the historic cellars under the Badia (abbey) of Passignano that dates back to the 10th century.
Tasting Notes
An intense ruby red in color, the wine shows aromas of a grand initial impact, highly pleasurable in their expression of a powerful typicality and varietal identity. Smoky notes of red fruit predominate along with sensations of underbrush and of oak, never excessive this latter and always fully respectful of the wine. On the palate, in addition to a body of absolute balance, the 2013 Badia a Passignano offers much personality with its firm tannins, still in evidence, characteristics of its youth but also of its territory. Excellent the length and persistence and the flavor finesse.
Awards
Antonio Galloni 94/100 USA Wine Spectator 95/100 USA
Badia a Passignano
Badia a Passignano is located above the town of Sambuca Val di Pesa, just 3 kilometers south of the Tenuta Tignanello estate. The property extends over an area of 223 hectares (551 acres), of which 65 hectares (160 acres) are planted with vines. The vineyards grow at an altitude that varies between 250 meters (820 feet) and 300 meters (984 feet) above seal level on calcareous soil in one of the most naturally endowed and beautiful environments in the Chianti Classico region. The estate’s historical importance in the Chianti region is well documented in hundreds of volumes that are kept in the Florence State Archives that provide descriptions and details about the Sangiovese vineyards and local crops over the centuries. Further proof of this came to light in 1983 when a thousand year old vitis vinifera plant was discovered on the land surrounding Badia a Passignano.
Soil
Predominantly calcareous
Antinori Estates
Estates in Italy
