First produced in 1989, this incredible wine is the symbol of the winery, and it truly epitomizes Bolgheri. At first, the wine was a classic Bordeaux blend but became a Cabernet Franc monovarietal in 2001; since then, it has been a huge success. The name “paleo” refers to a wild herb found on the Tuscan coast, and it symbolizes a strong local identity and the will to reach all goals.
The year began with slightly higher than average temperatures and little rain, leading to a delay in pruning. Spring started with slightly lower temperatures than usual and a continued lack of rain. All of this meant that budding occurred much later than usual (almost four weeks later than normal vintages), starting during the first 10 days of April and continuing slowly, until the last significant rainfall at the beginning of May. From then on, the absence of precipitation together with a rapid rise in temperatures quickly led to flowering and fruit set. These two vegetative phases occurred so quickly that they effectively erased the delay of the spring budding phase. Veraison happened early, especially for Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but also, to a degree, in the case of Merlot. The lack of rainfall all summer influenced the size of the berries and brought about uneven ripening, making it very challenging to determine the right harvest period for each variety and necessitating a higher number of samples and a careful selection of the parcels in order to harvest the areas that were most homogenous in terms of ripening at the same time. The 2022 harvest will most certainly be remembered for how long it lasted. It started early, on August 9, with Chardonnay, and ended nearly a month and a half later, on September 22, with Cabernet Sauvignon, thanks to the onset of rain and falling temperatures starting in mid-August. The rainfall during that period in part saved the vintage, as it led to good yields and excellent ripening of all the red varieties.
Denomination: Toscana IGT
First Vintage: 1989
Grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Franc
Vineyards: Casa Nuova 1998-2013, Vignone 1999, Ulivino 2016
Training System: guyot and head-trained
Yield: 800 gr per plant
Harvest period: third week of September
Winemaking: fermentation and maceration for 25 days in concrete tanks
Aging: 16 months in new oak barrel, conical trunk cask and stoneware amphora
Bottling: August 7, 2024
