In a land of reds, a white wine comes out on top and takes first place in its category in the Guida essenziale ai vini d’Italia for 2024: it comes from the Tuscan Maremma, from Manciano to be precise, and it is Poggio del Crine by Tenute Montauto.
The 2018 vintage of Sauvignon Poggio del Crine wins with a score of 97/100 awarded by Doctor Wine by Daniele Cernilli.
For the estate, it is the crowning of a dream that has lasted almost half a century, ever since, long before it was fashionable, the decision was made to invest in a difficult and noble grape variety such as Sauvignon in Tuscany, specifically in the Montauto area. A bold challenge taken on by Enos, the founder of the winery. He was the first at the estate to grasp the importance of trying to produce top-level wines in an area particularly suited to quality, with a great aptitude for winemaking and progress, despite the lack of in-depth studies.
It was with this drive that the idea arose of planting Sauvignon vines in an area that had always favoured reds.
Tasting and origins of the best Sauvignon
A powerful, complex wine, Poggio del Crine is rich in aromas. Toasty notes and dried citrus peel, notes of pastry, biscuits, sugared almonds and almond paste follow one another, making the sip imposing and pleasant. On the palate it reveals great savouriness, yet it is supple and has good persistence.
A white wine with real character, a Sauvignon that won over Daniele Cernilli and his team and that makes Riccardo Lepri proud – today at the helm of the estate and grandson of the founder, Enos.
Poggio del Crine 2018 comes from the first eight rows of Sauvignon grapes in grandfather Enos’s vineyard, vines around 45 years old, spur-pruned cordon trained and in a phase of great vegetative balance.
The bunches are small and rich in juice and aromas. Only farmyard manure and natural methods are used in the vineyard, with no room for synthetic substances; the soil is clay, with quartz and minerals, set in the landscape of the Maremma and caressed by the sea breeze from Capalbio. Conditions are ideal for producing truly great white wines.
To its meticulous care in the vineyard, Tenuta Montauto adds the same care in the cellar, at every stage of winemaking.
After being picked by hand, the grapes spend a night in a cold room to prevent any uncontrolled fermentation; they are gently pressed, fermentation takes place in steel at a controlled temperature, and the wine ages in the bottle for more than three years.
More from our catalogue: the Tenuta Montauto tasting sets
“At Tenuta Montauto we have always championed the cause of lightness, ever since the estate took its first steps. Whether because of the grape varieties we have and that have chosen us – Sauvignon and Pinot Noir in particular – or because of the land we live on, lightness was from the very start, for us, an existential imperative.” – Riccardo Lepri
Lightness is Tenuta Montauto’s watchword. Even in the hottest vintages, even in the face of every kind of hardship, the aim here is to make rarefied, airy wines – light, in a word. This is the estate’s style, which captures the most expressive side of the Maremma and applies it to the concept of lightness in wine.
We have put together some of the estate’s wines to offer two interesting Tenuta Montauto tasting sets:
Made up of 6 bottles, it includes: 1 Poggio del Crine, 2 Gessaia Sauvignon and 2 Vermentino.
Made up of 9 bottles, it includes: 1 Poggio del Crine, 3 Gessaia Sauvignon, 3 Vermentino and 2 Enos I.
All the wines from this splendid Tuscan estate are available in the Tenuta Montauto catalogue and truly deserve attention.
To start in style with the estate’s most exclusive wine, it is well worth trying Italy’s best Sauvignon right away: the newly awarded Poggio del Crine!
