Castello di Potentino - Super Tuscan Magic
19th January 2024
Potentino is a magical place with vineyards surrounding a magnificent 14th-century fort and in my view, is the most beautiful estate in all Tuscany. Here, handmade organic wines are produced in small batches under the watchful eye of Charlotte Horton, the estate’s hugely talented winemaker.
All great producers in Tuscany aspires to make a special cuvée in small quantity which they crown as their ‘Super Tuscan’. As does Charlotte, and in this case, her Winemaker's Release 2014. Made with 100% old vine sangiovese and aged in oak for 24 months, it was only released in 2022 after seven years in bottle. It is wonderfully seductive with intense cherry, red berry fruit and spices giving the wine a rich luscious texture.
Potentino’s mainstream wines are also examples of Tuscany at its best: Charlotte's Sacromonte 2016 (100% sangiovese) and Piropo 2017 (100% pinot noir - unique in Tuscany).
'The Winemaker's Release', Castello di Potentino 2014
A striking sangiovese - big, bold and and expressive, with aromatic notes of rose and violet, followed by intense cherry and red berry fruit, subtle smoky, spicy oak and a rich, rewarding, luscious texture.
Sacromonte' Rosso, Castello di Potentino, Tuscany 2016
Organically farmed Sacromonte Rosso 2016 is 100% Sangiovese, with 5+ years of bottle age. Mature, complex, with soft flavours of cherries and ripe red fruit, also showing a hint of spice and an intriguing, underlying minerality. Gorgeous.
Piropo' Castello di Potentino 2017
An enticing nose of blackcurrants, cherries and stewed fruits; then delicate flavours of green peppers, spice and a wisp of mint leaf on a palate finishing long and clean. Here’s an incredibly versatile Tuscan Pinot to pair with meat sauces pasta dishes, veal, pork, marinated and grilled white meats and wild fowl.
Esme Johnstone, Co-Founder of FromVineyardsDirect
