Ampeleia, 2019 'Ampeleia' IGT Toscana Cabernet Franc
Cab Franc du Jour #144
The name Ampeleia derives from the Greek ampelos, meaning vine, and the project was born from Elisabetta Foradori’s desire to showcase the unique terroirs of the hills of Alta Maremma. After several years of searching, she and her partners found their ideal site near the village of Roccatederighi, an established old vineyard planted primarily with Cabernet Franc. From the first vintage in 2002, they brought on Trentino native Marco Tait, who had spent his formative years at the Foradori estate, to manage the vineyards and winemaking. From that first vintage, Marco recognized immediately that there was something special about these seven parcels of old Cabernet Franc vines, and that the variety was destined to be the heart and soul of Ampeleia’s story. The flagship wine of the same name was born with that 2002 vintage and remains the estate’s highest expression to this day. The estate has since grown to 120 hectares, with about 35 hectares of vines across four vineyard sites, including roughly 8 hectares of Cabernet Franc, nearly a quarter of their total plantings. Biodynamics has been a guiding philosophy from the beginning, with certification achieved in 2009.
Maremma: An Overview
Maremma is a large and varied region spanning the entirety of the province of Grosseto in southern Tuscany, stretching roughly 100km from north to south and about 50km from east to west. It is bordered to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the northeast by the Colline Metallifere, and to the southeast by the Mount Amiata massif. The viticultural landscape is topographically diverse, with elevations ranging from around 10 to 20m above sea level near the coast to 400 to 600m in the foothills.
The climate is broadly Mediterranean, though it shifts meaningfully with geography. Coastal areas benefit from the sea’s moderating influence and experience slightly cooler summers, while the inland plains at lower elevations tend to run hotter. Further east and at higher elevations, the climate takes on more continentality, with cooler summers and winters overall. Annual precipitation across the region averages between 600 and 800mm, with the coast generally drier and rainfall increasing as you move inland and upward.
Soils across Maremma fall into roughly eight broad categories, from lighter alluvial soils to calcareous clays, stony schistous soils in some hillside areas, and pockets of volcanic origin in others. Of the approximately 9,100 hectares under vine in the Grosseto province, Sangiovese dominates with around 3,800ha, but Cabernet Franc has long been considered a traditional Tuscan variety and holds a meaningful place in the regional fabric as the fifth most-planted red variety, with roughly 320 hectares.
Alta Maremma and the Colline Metallifere Grossetane
Ampeleia and its vineyards are located in the Alta Maremma, in the northern part of the region, and more specifically within the Colline Metallifere Grossetane, one of Maremma’s five official sub-zones. The estate sits about 30km east of the Tyrrhenian Sea, with Bolgheri roughly 40km to the northwest.
Several factors combine to make the Colline Metallifere Grossetane one of the coolest parts of Maremma. The Tyrrhenian Sea exerts a moderating influence on temperatures, and constant cooling breezes funnel down through the river valleys that weave through the area. Elevation adds further relief, ranging from around 200 to 500m above sea level and bringing a good diurnal range with warm days and cool nights. The area also receives relatively high annual rainfall, upwards of 1,000mm, and the soils are dominated by calcareous clays and marls with strong water-holding capacity.
La Rocca Vineyard
Ampeleia’s flagship wine comes from the estate’s La Rocca vineyard in the village of Roccatederighi, a 12-hectare site originally planted by a Swiss couple in the 1980s. With a nod to the Super Tuscans of the era, they planted Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sangiovese. Of those original plantings, only the Cabernet Franc, which accounts for the majority of the site at about 4 hectares, and a small parcel of Merlot under 1 hectare, remain. The fact that Cabernet Franc now dominates what survives is itself a testament to how well the variety has adapted to this particular vineyard and area.
The vineyard is shaped like a natural amphitheatre with a south-southwest exposure at around 500 to 550m above sea level, a position that captures both the moderating sea breezes and the cooler conditions that come with higher elevation. The soils are rich calcareous clays, relatively shallow, with stony topsoils and subsoils containing a mix of schistous stones and palombini limestone. The Cabernet Franc was planted at the relatively high density of around 8,000 vines per hectare using Clone 214.
The vineyard is farmed biodynamically with cover crops and biodynamic preparations throughout. Shoot thinning and green harvesting are practiced regularly. One notable canopy management technique employed here, and one I have observed at other biodynamically farmed Cabernet Franc estates in the Loire and beyond, involves wrapping the top of the canopy around an additional wire rather than clipping or hedging. The idea is that the excess leaves contribute to ripening through photosynthesis, rather than relying on direct sun exposure to ripen the fruit.
In the Cellar
The fruit is hand-harvested and mostly destemmed and crushed, with about 10% whole cluster retained. Fermentation takes place in large concrete vats with indigenous yeast and no temperature control, reaching a maximum of around 28C. The wine spends approximately 20 days on skins with one pump-over per day throughout. A combination of free-run and press wine is used, and the wine is racked only once before aging begins. Around 80% is aged in concrete and 20% in large 5,000L oak foudres for approximately six months, after which the two portions are blended and aged together in concrete for a further six months before bottling. The wine then spends approximately two years in bottle before release.
Wine Details
Producer: Ampeleia
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Region: Maremma
Sub-region: Colline Metallifere Grossetane (Alta Maremma)
Municipality: Roccatederighi
Vineyard: La Rocca
Soils: Shallow calcareous-clay with schistous stones and palombini limestone stones throughout
Alcohol: 13.0%