Poggio La Noce ‘…ejià’ Vin Santo Del Chianti Occhio di Pernice 2015 (375ml)
Location: Italy, Tuscany
Winemakers: Claire Beliard and Enzo Schiano
Grapes: Sangiovese
Soil: Predominantly calcareous marl with alberese and galestro strata
Winemaking: Organic farming. At the beginning of October, manual harvest. After harvest, the grapes are laid on mats to “appassire” or “dry out” for 4 months. They are then pressed and left to ferment naturally in small wooden casks named “caratelli”.
From the Importer MatchVino: ‘Ejià’ Vin Santo, Occhio di Pernice, is made from Sangiovese grapes and aged in small oak casks. This is a real treat. It's not much to come by, and we don't bring much into the States, so get it while you can. It's a golden caramel color, with scents of mature fruit, dried fruit, and oriental spices. In the mouth, it shows great concentration, with deep and velvety sweetness, offering a never-ending finish and great complexity, suggesting a long aging potential.
FYI: It takes about the same amount of grapes to produce 24 (750ml) bottles of wine as it does to produce ONE single half bottle (375ml) of Occhio di Pernice. This is because the grapes are left to dry on reed mats before they are pressed, so the skin/pulp ratio decreases notably. Furthermore, almost half of the wine evaporates from the casks during Occhio di Pernice's 10-year-long aging period.
With 2 original hectares planted in the heart of Tuscany, a lovely drive up into the hills above Florence, and tucked into a sunny patch in the forest, Poggio la Noce is the epitome of a boutique winery. Now having 6 hectares, they have tripled in size. The estate was founded by the husband-and-wife team, Enzo Schiano and Claire Beliard, who assist in almost all the daily work.
They grow grapes and olives, have some animals, and cultivate a garden for seasonal food. Everything is natural. They adopted organic practices immediately and were officially certified in 2006. With a fierce nod towards biodynamics, their farming practices are straightforward. This means no pesticides or herbicides are ever used. Instead, they follow many organic practices, such as using green manure and planting leguminous plants in the Fall, which, by Springtime, are cut back and mulched into the ground, thus bringing nitrogen back. Many flowers, too, are part of this, such as the handsome Blue Tansey (Phacelia), which lures pollinators who, in turn, help keep other insects at bay. Natural Pheromones persuade sexual confusion amongst the grapevine fly (Tignoletta), thus preventing them from laying their eggs within the grape berries and damaging part of the fruit production. Sprays of algae and orange flower essence boost the vines’ natural immune system, helping with disease prevention. To help prevent the grape berries from becoming sunburnt during heat spells in the summer months, they have embraced a reliable system of shading nets, and of course, they follow the lunar calendar for all serious operations in the vineyard or the winery.
As passionate foodies, they care about what goes into their bodies. Theirs is perfectly positioned, meticulously cared for, and fully aware of ‘you get what you pay for.’ Focused, caring, and eager, these two are making some terrific wines and are really getting noticed.
Location: Italy, Tuscany
Winemakers: Claire Beliard and Enzo Schiano
Grapes: Sangiovese
Soil: Predominantly calcareous marl with alberese and galestro strata
Winemaking: Organic farming. At the beginning of October, manual harvest. After harvest, the grapes are laid on mats to “appassire” or “dry out” for 4 months. They are then pressed and left to ferment naturally in small wooden casks named “caratelli”.
From the Importer MatchVino: ‘Ejià’ Vin Santo, Occhio di Pernice, is made from Sangiovese grapes and aged in small oak casks. This is a real treat. It's not much to come by, and we don't bring much into the States, so get it while you can. It's a golden caramel color, with scents of mature fruit, dried fruit, and oriental spices. In the mouth, it shows great concentration, with deep and velvety sweetness, offering a never-ending finish and great complexity, suggesting a long aging potential.
FYI: It takes about the same amount of grapes to produce 24 (750ml) bottles of wine as it does to produce ONE single half bottle (375ml) of Occhio di Pernice. This is because the grapes are left to dry on reed mats before they are pressed, so the skin/pulp ratio decreases notably. Furthermore, almost half of the wine evaporates from the casks during Occhio di Pernice's 10-year-long aging period.
With 2 original hectares planted in the heart of Tuscany, a lovely drive up into the hills above Florence, and tucked into a sunny patch in the forest, Poggio la Noce is the epitome of a boutique winery. Now having 6 hectares, they have tripled in size. The estate was founded by the husband-and-wife team, Enzo Schiano and Claire Beliard, who assist in almost all the daily work.
They grow grapes and olives, have some animals, and cultivate a garden for seasonal food. Everything is natural. They adopted organic practices immediately and were officially certified in 2006. With a fierce nod towards biodynamics, their farming practices are straightforward. This means no pesticides or herbicides are ever used. Instead, they follow many organic practices, such as using green manure and planting leguminous plants in the Fall, which, by Springtime, are cut back and mulched into the ground, thus bringing nitrogen back. Many flowers, too, are part of this, such as the handsome Blue Tansey (Phacelia), which lures pollinators who, in turn, help keep other insects at bay. Natural Pheromones persuade sexual confusion amongst the grapevine fly (Tignoletta), thus preventing them from laying their eggs within the grape berries and damaging part of the fruit production. Sprays of algae and orange flower essence boost the vines’ natural immune system, helping with disease prevention. To help prevent the grape berries from becoming sunburnt during heat spells in the summer months, they have embraced a reliable system of shading nets, and of course, they follow the lunar calendar for all serious operations in the vineyard or the winery.
As passionate foodies, they care about what goes into their bodies. Theirs is perfectly positioned, meticulously cared for, and fully aware of ‘you get what you pay for.’ Focused, caring, and eager, these two are making some terrific wines and are really getting noticed.
Location: Italy, Tuscany
Winemakers: Claire Beliard and Enzo Schiano
Grapes: Sangiovese
Soil: Predominantly calcareous marl with alberese and galestro strata
Winemaking: Organic farming. At the beginning of October, manual harvest. After harvest, the grapes are laid on mats to “appassire” or “dry out” for 4 months. They are then pressed and left to ferment naturally in small wooden casks named “caratelli”.
From the Importer MatchVino: ‘Ejià’ Vin Santo, Occhio di Pernice, is made from Sangiovese grapes and aged in small oak casks. This is a real treat. It's not much to come by, and we don't bring much into the States, so get it while you can. It's a golden caramel color, with scents of mature fruit, dried fruit, and oriental spices. In the mouth, it shows great concentration, with deep and velvety sweetness, offering a never-ending finish and great complexity, suggesting a long aging potential.
FYI: It takes about the same amount of grapes to produce 24 (750ml) bottles of wine as it does to produce ONE single half bottle (375ml) of Occhio di Pernice. This is because the grapes are left to dry on reed mats before they are pressed, so the skin/pulp ratio decreases notably. Furthermore, almost half of the wine evaporates from the casks during Occhio di Pernice's 10-year-long aging period.
With 2 original hectares planted in the heart of Tuscany, a lovely drive up into the hills above Florence, and tucked into a sunny patch in the forest, Poggio la Noce is the epitome of a boutique winery. Now having 6 hectares, they have tripled in size. The estate was founded by the husband-and-wife team, Enzo Schiano and Claire Beliard, who assist in almost all the daily work.
They grow grapes and olives, have some animals, and cultivate a garden for seasonal food. Everything is natural. They adopted organic practices immediately and were officially certified in 2006. With a fierce nod towards biodynamics, their farming practices are straightforward. This means no pesticides or herbicides are ever used. Instead, they follow many organic practices, such as using green manure and planting leguminous plants in the Fall, which, by Springtime, are cut back and mulched into the ground, thus bringing nitrogen back. Many flowers, too, are part of this, such as the handsome Blue Tansey (Phacelia), which lures pollinators who, in turn, help keep other insects at bay. Natural Pheromones persuade sexual confusion amongst the grapevine fly (Tignoletta), thus preventing them from laying their eggs within the grape berries and damaging part of the fruit production. Sprays of algae and orange flower essence boost the vines’ natural immune system, helping with disease prevention. To help prevent the grape berries from becoming sunburnt during heat spells in the summer months, they have embraced a reliable system of shading nets, and of course, they follow the lunar calendar for all serious operations in the vineyard or the winery.
As passionate foodies, they care about what goes into their bodies. Theirs is perfectly positioned, meticulously cared for, and fully aware of ‘you get what you pay for.’ Focused, caring, and eager, these two are making some terrific wines and are really getting noticed.