Once again, I was delighted to find Castello di Querceto’s 2004 Cignale in my glass. This compelling blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is a deep, dense beauty endowed with the essence of dark cherries, earthiness, violets and licorice. Made in a full-bodied style, it needs a few years of bottle age to settle down and should drink beautifully to age 15, and likely beyond. This is a very unique expression of international varieties wedded to an unmistakable sense of Tuscan terroir. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2022. 93 points Antonio Galloni Wine Advocate # 177 Jun 2008
The story of this superb Tuscan Cabernet began on a singular note, when its first vintage was wiped out by wild boars. The episode inspired Neil & Maria Empson to call their most exclusive proprietary brand "Cignale" – "Wild Boar" in ancient Tuscan.
Maria Empson (an artist under her maiden name of Maria Gemma) created the six original label designs portraying the wine’s first fans, and once the vineyards were effectively enclosed, the wine took off. These were the eighties: Neil, Maria and longtime friend Alessandro François had planted the vines – mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and a small percentage of Merlot – in February 1981, on three locations near Greve (see map, above), one of Tuscany’s finest wine districts. Together, the sites covered seven and a half acres of schist, clay, lime and sand at 425-500 meters above sea level.
The soil here was abundant in nitrogen, key element to structure and consequently cellar life. The next step was selecting the ideal clones for this exceptional terrain, giving them full south/southwest exposure, and making sure the crops were tiny... To this day, they are less than one ton per acre (just over 20 hectoliters per hectare): a totally uneconomic yield! The result is a deep crimson to garnet, extract-loaded wine expressing the power, concentration and longevity of its terroir to the full, fine-tuned by carefully orchestrated vinification and élevage.
This deep crimson to garnet, extract-loaded wine expresses the power, concentration and longevity of its terroir to the full, fine-tuned by carefully orchestrated vinification and élevage.
For Cabernet Sauvignon, harvest takes place towards the end of October. The Merlot is picked in early to mid-October. The grapes are collected in small boxes and transported to the winery for immediate de-stemming and pressing. Only 65% of the free-run juice is used, and parts of the press-run are then blended back into the mass. Fermentation takes approximately 21 days. The resulting wine goes through full malolactic and is racked 6 times over the first 12 months.
New and 12-month-old French barriques are employed, where Cignale ages for approximately 18 to 24 months. After a further year, it is clarified with egg whites and unfiltered at bottling. Altogether, the wine is not released until 3 to 4 years from harvest date. Quantities are minuscule, and cellar life is up to twenty years. Cignale has offered consistent quality from vintage to vintage, and met with correspondingly unbroken success.
THE WINE IN SHORT:
Deep, dark ruby in color; spicy bouquet of cedarwood, black cherry, wild strawberry, black currant, subtle notes of well integrated new oak. On the palate, rich, harmonious, concentrated, powerful and intense, beautifully structured, with polished tannins and a long, silky finish.
