~ The entrance to the Fattoria Le Pupille Estate in Maremma ~
I’ve written a lot about Saffredi on these pages and justifiably so. This premium wine, which hails from the Maremma area along the Tuscan coast, consistently meets the lofty expectations placed upon it.
The Saffredi vineyard was planted in 1980 and is now almost 40 years old. Conceived by Elisabetta Geppetti’s mentor Fredi and his close friend Giacomo Tachis, the vineyard lies near the town of Magliano and spans approximately 5 hectares. Unfortunately, Fredi did not live to see the fruits of his labor, and so today, the wine bears the name of the vineyard he helped plant.
~ Elisabetta Geppetti digs in and literally gets her hands dirty. Planting Vineyards on the Le Pupille estate ~
Elegance and balance are the keys to Saffredi. It’s an aristocratic marvel that exudes the iron fist/velvet glove comparison. The wine is vinified in stainless steel vats and then aged 18 months in French oak barriques before release. However, only 75% of those barrels are new, while 25% have seen one vintage of Saffredi. As a result, Saffredi is never dominated by wood flavors. It relies on the character of the vineyard and Geppetti’s defy touch to display its greatness.
The 2011 Saffredi has aged incredibly well. Despite the challenging heat and dryness of the 2011 vintage, this wine retains it’s elegance, grace and freshness. At nine years of age, it shows no hint of losing steam
Deep purple in color with violet reflections, the wine doesn’t look nearly as old as it is. Brilliant aromas of violets, crushed black plums, cedar and tobacco are wonderfully perfumed. On the palate, the wine is fresh and lively with a sapid, ripe core of black fruits accented with trace minerals, tobacco and wild herbs. This isn’t as intense as the 2015 or even the 2013, but it’s strikingly close and available at a very fair price given that it’s almost a decade old. 94 points. About $75. Find this wine.
~ The 2011 is a special wine and in a great place right now for near term drinking. ~
Salute!
