Today, the estate boasts a total surface area of 650 hectares, of which 117 are devoted to specialized vineyards, divided between five areas: Fonterutoli, Siepi, Badiola, Belvedere and Caggio, located at between 230 and 500 meters above sea level and exposed to the south and southwest.
The soil structure is the result of the disintegration of limestone and sandstone boulders and is very rocky, so much so that Fonterutoli wine is also known as "vino dei sassi", or rock wine. These conditions require respect for the delicate environmental balance and a production volume of less than 40 hl per hectare, which guarantees high quality and a distinctive character. The vineyards’ perfect exposure to sunlight, the excellent pedological and microclimatic conditions and the density of the vines, progressively brought up to over 7,000 plants per hectare, result in the production of complex, elegant and powerful wines.
The Sangiovese grape, created by careful massale and clonal selection, finds itself particularly at home in the four areas of production, expressing its fullest potential: marked aromas and elegance in the highest areas (Fonterutoli and Badiola), structure and potency in the lower ones (Siepi and Belvedere). All the main cultivation operations - pruning, tying, stripping leaves and thinning out the bunches – are done by hand. The harvest is also carried out entirely by hand, at different times for each section, in order to ensure that the grapes reach the cellars at the optimal degree of maturation.
Vinification in special steel vats shaped like truncated cones and reliance on crushing of grapes, yields an exceptional color extraction, with extremely mild, fine tannins and the preservation of all the aromatic components. Once the initial fermentation is terminated, the wines are aged in small oak casks, where they complete their malolactic fermentation. All the stages, from fermentation to ageing in wooden casks, are carried out independently by each vineyard and type of grape, to guarantee an ample spectrum of variations. Shortly after blending, the wines are bottled, then aged for another few months before being sent off to the world’s most important markets.
Castello di Fonterutoli (Mazzei) pictures
