Has only twenty-three years old but he knows his stuff well, Arianna Fioravanti, third generation of a family of winemakers in San Gimignano in the province of Siena. Three years ago her mother Sabrina Niccolai, who in turn had inherited her from her father Luano, decided it was time to put her to the test and leave her space in the company, 63 hectares of land owned, 53 of which are planted with vineyards and 10 destined for woods and olive groves. And Arianna was not discouraged in the slightest by the severity of the commitment. Far from it. She set to work, driven by the passion that distinguishes her mixed with stubbornness, which is the irrepressible side of her character, and obviously by a great love for this magnificent land full of history, determined to bring fresh air to the enterprise family's, a reality strongly rooted in the territory, with the support of the younger brothers Niccolò and Luca. But Arianna has not only proved to be an excellent winemaker, she has also demonstrated remarkable entrepreneurial skills, dedicating herself at the same time to managing the structures dedicated to the family's tourist accommodation: Villa Palagetto in Monteoliveto, Villa Arnilu in San Biagio and the agritourism The Firefly in Casaglia, all in the municipality of San Gimignano.
The production of the Palagetto farm includes a wide and articulated range of wines that offer various interpretations of Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a Docg white wine, flanked by productions historically linked to this area such as San Gimignano Doc and Chianti Colli Senesi Docg, and other expressions obtained from international vines. To integrate this large vineyard package there are also 5 hectares a Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the municipality of Montalcino, where they are produced under the Bellarina brand Rosso di Montalcino Doc and Brunello di Montalcino Docg.
Arianna, after her official entry into the company, has added a line of wines bearing her signature to the historic line of "Palagetto" wines – just to make it clear that at the age of twenty he has very clear ideas – to offer the consumer products that add an element of novelty to the territorial typicity and tradition, the result of a strong spirit of research in the vineyard and new technologies in the cellar: the line "Arianna” is a “welcome” card for future generations, the new spirit of this company.
In particular, an excellent surprise comes from the tasting of Vernaccia di San Gimignano Ventanni 2016 of the Ariadne line. It is a wine with a very pleasant and fragrant olfactory profile, of notable floral and fruity intensity, which is initially revealed with silky perceptions of small white flowers, especially almond flowers, which then give way to more intense floral connotations (freesia and jasmine ) and then to ripe white melon and lemon candy. The mouth expresses fullness, excellent continuity and good expressiveness in the aromatic returns. Worth noting is the long and tasty persistence which brings out the saline component at the bottom to rebalance the glyceric fullness of the sip.
The result was obtained by processing 6,8% Vernaccia di San Gimignano grapes, selected on two hectares of vineyards located in the Monteoliveto area near the winemaking cellar, harvested from vines raised on soils made up of sands of Pliocene origin dating back to the period between 1,8 and XNUMX million years ago, at an altitude of around 300 meters above sea level. The harvest, manual in crates, which took place around mid-September, brought grapes to the cellar that were de-stemmed and subjected to pre-fermentation carbonic cryomaceration for 12 hours, with controlled temperatures around 10°C in order to fix the aromatic precursors which during the fermentation phase released the fragrant aromas of the Vernaccia. The must from the first pressing was subjected to static settling; the fermentation started thanks to the inoculation of cryophilic yeasts and took place in thermo-conditioned steel at a very low temperature, always to preserve the primary aromas of the grapes as much as possible. Fermentation then continued in second passage French oak tonneaux until the complete transformation of the sugars. The contact with the fermentation lees was prolonged for about 6 months and the extraction stimulated by frequent batonnage. The wine was then subsequently assembled and left to mature further in cement tanks for about a year and a half, followed by a further refinement of about four months in the bottle before being marketed.
Ventanni was the forerunner of the new Arianna line to which the young producer has entrusted the task of celebrating her twentieth birthday: for this reason her portrait is on the label. A wine conceived to enhance Arianna's determination and stubbornness, as well as his desire to experience new things raising the bar more and more. Arianna wants to arrive at proposing something more intimately personal, which satisfies, always respecting the starting raw material, her desire to constantly improve herself, harvest after harvest, putting into practice the experience she is gaining in a company that grows together with she.
Arianna's introduction into corporate life also made itself felt in the projects that were already underway and that Arianna was able to complete. In particular, the process of converting the over 2018 hectares of vineyards in San Gimignano to organic farming, started by mother Sabrina, ended in 50, carrying it forward and introducing a model of sustainable agriculture which required responsible changes of course in agronomic and oenological practices.
Starting from the 2018 harvest, the wines of the Palagetto di San Gimignano farm can therefore boast the wording Organic Wine, as per European Regulation 203/2012.
In the Palagetto vineyard, for many years now, synthetic chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and pesticides have not been usedthe; just as in the cellar the vinifications have always been respectful and non-interventionist: it was easy to adapt to compliance with the processes authorized by regulation 203/2012.
The European regulation sets total sulfur limits for dry red organic wines at a maximum of 100 mg/l, while for dry whites it will be a maximum of 150 mg/l: in Palagetto the values are kept below these limits.
In short, Palagetto wines which, together with the pleasure of drinking well, offer the possibility of healthy, clean drinking, with the added awareness that everything is in the hands of people who carry out careful and meticulous work every day towards their own territorial heritage.
Palagetto Agricultural Society
Via di Racciano, 10
San Gimignano (SI)
0577 943090
www.palagetto.it-
tasting@palagetto.it
The company cellar, one of the largest in the area, is located one and a half kilometers from San Gimignano, on the provincial road that leads to Volterra. Guided tours can be taken starting from the vineyard, to continue with an interesting journey to discover the world of wine passing through the vinification of white wines and red wines, to continue with the visit and stop at a fascinating barrique and cellar (with about 200 barriques and 15 tonneaux), to the bottling room, to that of aging in glass and to the storage room.
Furthermore, the company also organizes tastings at its own upon request crusher of extra virgin olive oil. Among the wines produced: Bianco Toscano Vegano IGT, Brunello Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, Palagetto Rosso Toscano IGT Solleone, Chianti Colli Senesi Riserva IGT Rosato Toscano IGT Rosato
