96/100 Luca Maroni (2018 vintage)

GOLD - Citadelles du Vin (2018 vintage)

GOLD - Gilbert & Gaillard (2020 vintage)

Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Malvasia Nera

The Winemaker “Ruby red intense and bright. The bouquet opens with floral and ripe red fruit aromas with prominent cherry notes. Dynamic, soft and round with a significant but not overwhelming tannin structure and well-balanced acidity, a unique feature that makes this wine very versatile. The intense aromas originate from the batch of dried, raisined grapes that are used for the production of this wine, being a Tuscan variant of the classic Appassimento method of wine-making."

It unrolls a frank and juicy fruit, completed with a hint of Canaiolo and Malvasia Nera, which brings a touch of freshness. It is a perfect charmer, with silky and integrated tannins, a cuvée with a unique pleasure-price ratio!"

Botter is one of Italy's largest, family-owned wineries and has been producing and exporting wines for almost a century. Today one in every 35 bottles of Italian wine exported is produced by Botter which is managed by the family's third generation of vignerons. Botter is committed to organic and sustainable winemaking practices at many of its vineyards which are located in Puglia, Veneto and Friuli. The winery has won over 100 top international awards for its wines, most notably the gold medal Vinalies Internationales 2014, China Wine & Spirits Awards 2013, Concurs Mondial de Bruxelles 2010, Berliner wine Trophy 2013 and Mundus Vini 2013.

Tuscany is Italy's third most planted region (behind Sicily and Apulia) but it is eighth in terms of output, reflecting both the poor soil of Tuscany and deliberate efforts to limit yields and increase the quality in the wine. After Piedmont and the Veneto, Tuscany produces the third-highest volume of DOC/DOCG wines. More than 80% of the regions' production is in red wine, with the Sangiovese grape being Tuscany's' most prominent grape. Trebbiano is the leading white variety of the region.

The history of viticulture in Tuscany dates back to the Etruscans in the 8th century BC. From the fall of the Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages, monasteries were the main purveyors of wines in the region. As the aristocratic and merchant classes emerged, they inherited the share-cropping system of agriculture known as mezzadria. Many Tuscan landowners would turn their half of the grape harvest into wine that would be sold to merchants in Florence. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Tuscany returned to the rule of the Habsburgs. Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Super Tuscan are Tuscany’s best known wines.

'Governo all'uso Toscano' is a traditional Tuscan winemaking method used since the 14th century and which some well known Tuscan winegrowers have popularised recently.

Sangiovese (or Nielluccio in Corsica), a dark-berried vine, is the most widely planted grape variety in Italy. Virtually synonymous with the red wines of Tuscany, and all the romanticism that goes with the territory, Sangiovese is the core constituent in some of the great names in Italian wine. Italy's love affair with Sangiovese – and indeed the world's – is generations old, though recent grapevine research suggests the variety is not as ancient as once thought.

The Canaiolo Nero grape is particularly widespread in central Italy, used in the production of different DOC and DOCG wines. In particular it is used to impart softness to Chianti to stand alongside the Sangiovese. In addition to the Chianti, Canaiolo nero is used almost exclusively in blends, even for different wines of central Italy. The berry is black, medium, round and smooth with blue-violet consistent skin with much bloom. The bunch is medium, rather sparse, stubby or pyramidal, with one or two wings and with a medium-small, five-lobed, rarely three-lobed, dark green and opaque leaf. The grape Canaiolo nero prefers warm climates and hilly terrain, with good exposure. This grape has low vigor and medium age of maturation. The grape Canaiolo nero gives an intense ruby-red wine, alcoholic, but with low acidity. Blended with Sangiovese adds flavor and aroma.

Malvasia Nera is a dark skinned variety within the Malvasia grape family and it is used for the production of red wines, it can produce dry, sparkling and sweet wines and also passiti and rosé wines and is widely used in blends rather than being used to produce a varietal wine. The grape is cultivated across Italy but Piedmont is the best known region for producing varietal Malvasia Nera wines whilst in Apulia, Malvasia Nera is blended with Negroamaro. The Malvasia Nera grape produces wines that are light to medium bodied with notes of cherries, plums and chocolate.