Known above all for its natural beauty, the crystalline emerald sea, the rich and fishy seabed, Giglio Island it has a territory that is 90% still wild where the low Mediterranean scrub still reigns with its colors and scents. Those who approach by sea can see some vineyards perched on terraces overlooking the sea. In just over one hectare the Isola nel Giglio Estate produces a fine white wine in which the history, the tradition and the intense and varied island landscape from which it originates are enclosed, the Ansonica Black Rock.
With a brilliant golden yellow color with slight amber reflections, Ansonica Scoglio Nero retains all the character of the Mediterranean maquis, with notes that refer to helichrysum, chamomile and candied fruit, enriched by a light and elegant woody note.
Born from the desire to enhance the fascinating places of Giglio wine, the project of Isola estate in Giglio bears the signature of Philippe Austruy, a French entrepreneur who in 2019, with the help of the agronomist Alessandro Fonseca, identified and bought a small vineyard in the pearl of the Tuscan archipelago. Here he founded the wine cellar and began to collect the first grapes, from which the Ansonica wine with the Scoglio Nero label, a toponym that pays homage to the rocky conformation of the area.
“The oenological goal – he explains Alessandro Fonseca, now director of the estate – was to seek the maximum qualitative expression of this particular vine, analyzing every aspect of cultivation and vinification to reproduce in a modern key that elegant nectar that had already enchanted ancient peoples”.
The wine history ofLily island in fact, it has millenary roots. Various archaeological finds - including wrecks containing amphorae and other material used for the transport of wine and the remains of wine-making tanks dug directly into the granite -, in addition to the numerous terraces, confirm the attention of the islanders for wine already in the Etruscan-Roman era . A legacy of the past which today is slowly recovering and enhancing thanks to 10 producers with 20 hectares of land distributed in various parts of the island.
Ansonica Scoglio Nero: limited production of 800 bottles for a fine wine that reproduces the legacy of an Etruscan past in a modern key
Peculiarities of Isola estate in Giglio is the form of cultivation of sapling vines, concentrating all the aromatic potential and solar energy of this marine terroir in just a few grapes per plant, while the sands of granite origin guarantee the perfect vegetative-productive balance for the production of grapes with high oenological potential. The Ansonica vine here it finds a unique qualitative adaptation, characterized by an important vigor and a marked resistance to drought.
The grapes, 100% Ansonica, rigorously harvested by hand, are destemmed upon delivery to the cellar, fermented without pressing and vinified in steel containers at a controlled temperature. The duration of the maceration extends throughout the alcoholic fermentation phase and, depending on the degree of maturation, can also extend into the subsequent phase of refinement on the fine lees. A part of the wine obtained is aged in second and third passage barriques, while the remaining part ages in stoneware containers, to ensure the right degree of micro-oxygenation necessary for the evolution of the tannic matrix extracted during the maceration phase. From Ansonica Black Rock only 832 bottles of 0.75 l and 50 bottles of 1.5 l are produced
“Our intent – explains Fonseca, who together with the two young and talented oenologists Cosimo Casini and Maria Sole Zoli has undertaken to maintain the characteristics of elegance and refinement of the original processes – is to respect the tradition and the place of origin, from the first sip that explosion of perfumes that pervades our vineyard during the season, from the Mediterranean scrub blooms to the saline and iodized sensation, typical of the sea breeze that blows on those slopes”. The fruit of the team's research and dedication is a wine in which the tactile sensation of granite coexists harmoniously, due to the marked minerality of the territory and the softness of the tannin. In the glass the wine is characterized by a brilliant golden yellow, with slight amber reflections. The nose expresses all the character of the Mediterranean maquis of the place of origin, intense and varied, with the distinct presence of yellow flowers and notes that refer to helichrysum, chamomile and candied fruit, surrounded by a slight but present elegant woody note. On the palate the sip is full and full-bodied, characterized by a harmonious and well-smoothed tannic matrix during refinement.
The slightly amarostic finish leaves room for mineral and savory hints that leave the mouth dry and extremely clean. Food pairing: Aged cheeses, with a strong and intense flavour.
