~ The Felsina Cellar Entrance softly illuminated ~
It doesn’t get much better than this.
Felsina may be known for their fantastic red wines, but over Christmas we tasted the newest release of their Vin Santo and it is utterly superb.
Much has been written on these pages about Felsina, yet the last time I covered their Vin Santo was the 2001. The vineyards that give rise to the fruit for this nectar were planted in the 1970s and 1980s after careful site selection. The wine is a product of Malvasia, Trebbiano and Sangiovese. Once the selections of the best grapes are made, they are dried using traditional wicker mats. The drying process typically extends until January or February of the year following the harvest.
~ Grapes drying on mats in Felsina’s Vinsantaia; a special area within the cantina where ventilation is carefully monitored as the grapes shrivel and dry ~
Once the grapes are dried, they are de-stemmed, pressed and racked to 100 liter oak casks. These casks contain the vin santo “mother” a thick, richly flavored substance that remains from the previous vintage. The aging process then begins which, depending upon the vintage, will last a minimum of 7 years. The process is painstaking and the results yield a precious product. In the last 20 years, Felsina has only produced their Vin Santo 7 times. The 2009 is the most recent release.
The 2009 Felsina Vin Santo is a deep golden brown color. Immediately upon opening, the aromas from the wine are explosive. Brown sugar, caramel, creme brulee, honey, marzipan, toasted almonds, vanilla and white flowers are hauntingly penetrative and wildly complex.
On the palate, there is simply no let up. The body of the wine is viscous, lively and perfectly sweet. There’s not a trace of any cloying nature. The fresh acidity rises the flavors to the fore. Caramel, brown sugar, Christmas spices, marzipan, maple syrup and roasted nuts are nothing short of glorious. It’s hard to imagine improvement here, but even with that being said, this still rests on the level right below the immortal Avignonesi. Nevertheless, the gap is narrowed. 98 points and a steal at $42. Find this wine – Support Tuscan Vines
~ If you’re a lover of Vin Santo – this bottle is a must ~
Vin Santo is the perfect wine to Coravin. That’s what I did with this example; the remainder of which rests nicely in the refrigerator. And yes, I’ve already gotten more for myself. Don’t miss out on this one!
Salute.
Thanks for the amazing review John! I am asking about the Coravin, which model do you like and how well has it performed? Additionally, what sorts of wines do you find yourself using it on?
Hi Paul,
I’m not sure what model Coravin I have, but it’s an older one. Thus far, it has performed very well though I don’t use it all that often. The biggest reason for that is the cost of the cartridges. They’re pretty expensive and I’d estimate that maybe you get 5-7 glasses of wine per cartridge. Generally, I use them on wines I want to try but suspect they’re way too young. It comes in handy during Tasting Reports. I’ve also used it during a few of the virtual winemaker tastings I did. The Il Pareto event comes to mind. The longest I’ve held a Coravined wine for was a few months, though the Il Pareto’s were opened in May and I still have them. I also have a “test” bottle; a 2009 Flaccianello that I’ve Coravined a few times and originally started it Christmas 2020. It’s about 2/3 of the way gone and every time I Coravin it, it’s fresh. All this being said, I’m not about to try it on say a Sassicaia or Solaia or Cru Barolo. If I open those, I decant and they get finished. If I’m planning to age wine, I want the fewest variables in the equation that I can handle. Cheers!