Il Blu 2021

Description

Blu is a still Tuscan red produced by the Brancaia winery. The wine is considered one of the flagship products of the winery owned by Swiss winemakers Brigitte and Bruno Widmer. The Tuscan red, for different vintages, has received numerous awards and prizes over the years, including the Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso, the Tre Stelle Blu from Veronelli, the Five Bunches of Grapes from Bibenda, and the Four Vines from the Vitae AIS (Italian Sommelier Association). Therefore, this excellent wine is produced on the Pioppi and Brancaia estates of the eponymous winery, whose soils (located in Chianti at an altitude of 230-400 meters above sea level) are poor, rocky, and contain percentages of clay and limestone. Another guarantee of its quality is the wine's longevity, which can reach up to 25 years. The Blu blend is composed of percentages of Merlot, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon; the grapes are meticulously hand-picked during the harvest; once pressed, they must age for twenty months in French barriques and twenty-four months in the bottle before the wine can grace the table as an accompaniment to red meats and game during lunches and dinners. Much of the wine's characteristics, which are distinguished by intensity, elegance, and refinement, derive from the fermentation and aging processes.

Details

Perfume

The nose is extremely elegant with scents of wild fruits and cherry chocolate, licorice and Caribbean cedar, sweet tobacco, mint and tones of roasting.

Color

Dense ruby red.

Taste

The taste is harmonious, rich in structure and furrowed by precise and well-dissolved tannins. Long finish.

Serve at:

16 - 18 °C.

Longevity:

10 - 15 years

Decanting time:

1 hour

Producer

Producer

Brancaia

From this winery

• Start up year: 1981
• Oenologist: Barbara Widmer, Carlo Ferrini
• Bottles produced: 614.000
• Hectares: 90

For over 40 years, the Widmer family has been producing Tuscan wines with the vision of making shared moments unforgettable. Brancaia is constantly committed to the pursuit of the highest quality, blending Italian style with Swiss precision. At the heart of our philosophy is harmony, understood both as balance in the wines and as a deep respect for nature and terroir. Our wines embody these values with elegance, finesse, and an unmistakable identity. Read more

Tuscany

Technical Sheet

Name	Brancaia Il Blu 2021
Type	Red organic still
Denomination	Toscana IGT
Vintage	2021
Size	0,75 l
Alcohol content	14.0% by volume
Grape varieties	80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Sangiovese
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Vendor	Brancaia
Story	Since its debut in 1988, IL BLU has been the result of our constant search for perfection. Made from only the best hand-picked and selected grapes from our two Chianti estates, with fine tannins and a soft, full-bodied finish, it is a full-bodied wine that stands out for its complexity and elegance. Today, thanks to the ever-improving complexity of our Merlot grapes, particularly from our vineyards in Radda in Chianti, the blend is 80% Merlot and 10% Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each individual vineyard and variety are aged separately in barriques, two-thirds new, for 18 months. Afterwards, all individual barrels are tasted to select the final blend, which is aged in unlined cement tanks for 3 months. In this way, the wine becomes more balanced, the aromas are better integrated and so are the tannins, even before ageing in the bottle for a year. We continue the work of perfecting this wine, while at the same time, taking great care to preserve its identity. The character and style of IL BLU have been marked by continuity over all these years: something we intend to carry on for the next 30 years.
Origin	The Brancaia estate encompasses the vineyards of Brancaia (Castellina in Chianti) and Poppi (Radda in Chianti), at between 750 and 1300 feet above sea level. All vineyards have a hillside location, looking South, Southwest or Southeast. They are partly covered with greenery and worked according to integrated production standards.
Soil composition	Soil is lean and stony, with a portion of clay and lime.
Cultivation system	All are cultivated in the one-armed cordon system.
Plants per hectare	6,000.
Yield per hectare	5,500 kg
Harvest	8 September-04 October, harvested by hand.
Fermentation temperature	30-32 °C
Wine making	Must contact: 20 days.
Aging	18 months: 2/3 in new barriques, 1/3 in used barriques. 3 additional months in concrete tanks plus 12 months in the bottle.
Allergens	Contains sulphites