2007 Sassontino

Here is another late-release Sangiovese from Casanova della Spinetta, only in this case, fruit is sourced from precious 50-year-old vines. The 2007 Sassontino is a concentrated, thickly layered and aged wine packed tight with dried fruit, spice, smoke and tar. There is a lot of tertiary definition here, and unlike the other late-release wine, the Sezzana, this bottle is less oxidative and still shows some recognizable fruit. Roto-fermenters are used to obtain rich extraction, and the wine is aged in tonneaux for up to 14 months. Production is 10,000 bottles.