A few days ago, Spaziovino.com featured an article on our Morellino di Scansano Vignabenefizio. This Russian website is currently running a project called Project DOC 365 where every day of the year they present a different wine. For each wine they also present the area of production, its history, and finally the wine itself. So we thought of translating it for you (hopefully doing justice to the original article). Here’s what they say about our winery.
When in Maremma in the Eighties a wave of high quality producers grew, Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano were one of its main forces. The co-op, founded in 1972, invested largely in the new production and in the care of the vineyards, as well as in changing the mentality of its farmer-members. Their current reputation is mostly thanks to President Benedetto Grechi, through whom the company has been constantly developing in the past 30 years. Today Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano have 470 hectares of vineyards, divided between 150 members. The Morellino di Scansano wines are the foundations of their range. Among these, there’s Vignabenefizio produced from a single vineyard. It grows up to 150 metres above sea level and the soil is rich in sand and limus. The average age of the vineyards is 15 years, and the grapes are collected in late September. The wine is made of Sangiovese, plus 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The fermentation takes place in steel tanks and it is then aged in old and new barriques for 6 months. 3 months of refining in bottle follow. A limpid ruby red. It is clean, with defined notes including charming floral tones of violets and roses. Notes of ripe cherries, balsamic, refreshing and spicy notes follow. The palate is round, the taste is balanced and dominated by notes of ripe fruits. The tannins are velvety, not heavy. The finish is medium-length and is completed with hints of milk chocolate. It has a recognisable Morellino di Scansano style. Sere with pasta with vegetables and tomato sauce, medium structured meat dishes. 3.5 stars
Finally, here’s how they present the Morellino di Scansano production area and its long vocation for viticulture, going back in time to the Etruscans.
Morellino di Scansano – one of the areas in Southern Tuscany specialised in Sangiovese. Its main centre is Scansano, in the province of Grosseto. Morellino is the name used locally for Sangiovese. The appellation is applied since the late Seventies and in 2006 its status changed from DOC to DOCG and only refers to the production of red wine. The cultivation of vines in Scansano and in the surrounding area goes back to ancient times. In the first millennium B.C., Etruscans lived here and were qualified vine growers. Their work is confirmed by the tools for the pruning and harvesting of the vineyards that were found by archaeologists in Ghiaccio Forte. Medieval land owners – nobles and the church – were well aware of the economic and social value of the vineyards. A field with vineyards stood out among other farmed fields and underwent special regulations. For instance, in the statutes of Castello di Cotone, Montorgiali and Scansano severe rules safeguarded the vineyards: for instance, if cattle ruined a vineyard, cattle owners had to pay a fine. The first detailed reports on local wine production date back to the early 19th century. In 1813 the mayor of Scansano, in a letter to the vice-prefect of Grosseto reported that the latest harvest had produced over half a million liters of wine, most of which were superior to the average. In a memorandum from 1847, Luigi Villafranca Giorgini of Società Agricola di Grosseto, said in the botanical gardens of Pisa there was a vine that was five cubites tall (2.92 m) and with a circumference of 4 cubites (2.36 m). It was taken to Villa Castagneta, near Scansano. At the end of the 19th century, a report on the agricultural, industrial and trade development in the province of Grosseto (1884) indicated that the wines of the best quality were produced in Magliano, Scansano and Pereta. Their land is included in the current wine production area. As a confirmation of the rooted enological tradition of Scansano, since 1969 a harvest festival is celebrated, called Festa dell’Uva. This takes place in a doze medieval cellars, a further prove of the wine history of Scansano.
