This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Red Tuscany under £15 went to Abbadia Ardenga, Rosso di Montalcino 2012 (14%)
Tasted against:
- No other Golds in this category
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Abbadia Ardenga is nestled in classic Tuscan countryside next to an old Roman road. Indeed the wholeplace is drenched in history with its underground passages, old wells, an ancient watchtower and parts of its buildings that date back to the Roman-Etruscan period.
It was later used as a post station because of an important trading route that ran past, and then, in the 19th century, it began life as a farm whereupon oil mills and wine cellars were built. Olive oil is still produced on the estate today but wine is at its heart made from its 10 hectares of vineyards. Of these, 4ha are dedicated to Rosso diMontalcino, producing 16,000 bottles ofthis Trophy-winner each year.
Winemaker for the past 15 years hasbeen Paolo Ciacci, whose father bought the property in the 1960s: ‘With our wines we want to represent our terroir, from the rocky soils rich in minerals, to the contours of the pristine forests and the clean air devoid of factories,’ he says. ‘The ground is hard, arid, rocky and stony, and often suffers from drought in summer, but it produces wines of structure, with concentrated aromas and flavours. With the Rosso di Montalcino, through low yields, we wanted to show how the Sangiovese Grosso grape can produce a modern, enjoyable, everyday wine.’
Written by Decanter
