Earlier this year, Maremma Toscana DOC Vermentino Superiore was ratified by the Italian government. The new Superiore category represents an increase from a minimum percentage of 85% Vermentino in the pre-existing non-Superiore wines to at least 95%, as well as a higher minimum abv of 12.5% and can be used for wines from the 2021 vintage onwards.
The Mazzei family, whose managing director, Francesco Mazzei is president of the Maremma Toscana consortium, has just released the first wine labeled as Vermentino Superiore from its Belguardo estate.
First released with the 2008 vintage as ‘Codice V’, Belgaurdo’s Vermentino – made from four different clones – has always been at the forefront of the denomination and began incorporating 20% of amphora-vinified fruit from the 2016 vintage onwards.
A name change from ‘Codice V’ to ‘V’ coincides with the new Superiore labeling for this 2021 vintage. Other changes in this latest release include increasing the percentage of grapes vinified on the skins in amphorae to 50% and reducing the time on skins from nine months to six.
‘Despite the fact that the DOC Maremma regulations provide for a rather considerable number of grape varieties and wine categories, Vermentino in recent years has become the most important wine in terms of number of bottles produced and is the grape variety with the strongest growth trend, ‘Mazzei told Decanter .
‘Vermentino yields fresh, ready-to-drink wines, as well as ambitious, long-lived versions, which is why we have included the Superiore category in our portfolio. I think that with the addition of Superiore designation, in the next few years Vermentino will not only consolidate its role as the main player in the denomination, but thanks to its outstanding quality to quantity ratio, it will also positively influence the reputation of the Maremma Toscana, positioning it as a high-quality peer of the other Tuscan denominations .’
