Grape blend: Sangiovese, Malvasia Toscana
Aged: at least 5 years in wooden caratelli barrels
Alcohol content: 15.5% vol
Acidity: 8.1 g/l
Residual sugars: 175 g/l
An opulent wine, which combines centuries-old traditions and years of waiting, transforming them into liquid gold. At the Fattoria, great care and attention are always given to Vin Santo – the quintessential Tuscan dessert wine – but for the Occhio di Pernice Riserva version, the Viallini go even further. The selection of grapes is even more meticulous, the Caratelli barrels are chosen one by one, and the ageing process is longer so that this nectar can fully reveal its velvety sweetness. After a dry, warm winter and a rainy May, the 2019 season concluded with a late harvest well into October. The bunches of Sangiovese were ripe and healthy, ideal to be dried out naturally in the winery, where they remained until December, loosing over half of their weight, while the sugars, aromas and acidity became concentrated. After pressing, fermentation took place in Caratelli barrels containing around 100 litres, where the wine remained for five and a half years.
Tasting – Colour: dark copper, with rose gold highlights. The nose: rich, deep, thrilling. Hints of autumn leaves and forest floor intertwine with notes of earth, mature wood and vanilla, as well as traces of nuts, dried apricot, blond tobacco and caramel. In the mouth: harmonious, full-bodied, mellow. Intense sweetness but never sickly sweet, with an enveloping, almost honey-like sensation, and very long persistence.
Wine and Food Pairing – Tradition ties it to hospitality; it’s the wine you use to “pamper” your closest friends and even yourself, without needing any other company. Those who want to be daring (and indulge themselves) pair it with some mature pecorino cheese – possibly a “riserva” – and a couple of drops of honey, or with rich and aromatic sweet delicacies such as Panpepato from Siena or dark, bittersweet chocolate (80% cocoa or more).