Ampeleia Alicante 2016

Ampeleia's Alicante Nero comes from a single parcel called Vigna della Pieve, cadastral plot 148 on sheet 153, located in the lower-altitude vineyards of the estate near Roccatederighi in the Colline Metallifere hills of Alta Maremma. The soils here are sandy with pebbles and clay conglomerates — conditions that encourage the variety's natural delicacy over concentration. Vines yield around 50 hectoliters per hectare, and grapes are harvested in the first week of September.

Alicante Nero is a Tuscan biotype of Grenache, also known as Cannonau in Sardinia and Garnacha in Spain. Ampeleia replanted it at the La Pieve site starting in 2003, recovering a variety that had been largely abandoned in the region in favor of more deeply colored, more structured grapes. The wine is part of the estate's Monovarietali series, a single-vineyard, single-variety project.

Fermentation is with native yeasts. The wine ages for six months in cement vats with no filtration and minimal sulfur additions. The result sits on the lighter side of red wine — low tannin, bright acidity, and a profile that leads with red fruit and florals before finishing with earth and spice.

Ampeleia has farmed biodynamically since the 2009 vintage and holds Demeter certification. The Alicante Nero is classified as a Toscana IGT.