2020 Tenuta Meraviglia Bolgheri Superiore Maestro di Cava

Product Description

Tenuta Meraviglia comprises 30 hectares of vineyards at the southernmost end of the Bolgheri denomination. Planted primarily with Cabernet Franc, these certified organic vines are on an impressive plateau at 150 metres above sea level, surrounded by woodlands and boasting a splendid view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Tuscan Archipelago and Corsica. The soils here are of volcanic origin, containing an abundance of rhyolite, a rock used extensively in the past for buildings. Just below the plateau is a disused quarry, that once contained rhyolite, currently hidden by a dense forest. Plans are afoot to use it to house the new winery that Tenuta Meraviglia are planning to build.

The estate was purchased in 2016 by Alejandro Bulgheroni and is run by the same team that has made such a success of his Dievole estate in Chianti. Lorenzo Bernini oversees viticulture and winemaking, working alongside renowned winemaker and consultant Alberto Antonini. The Tenuta Meraviglia wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts in cement and aged in large, untoasted French oak barrels to best express their vineyards. This is an unconventional approach in Bolgheri, where winemakers have historically favoured a higher percentage of new oak and smaller barrel formats (notably barrique).

The two wines we list are made solely from Cabernet Franc, which thrives at this estate. The Bolgheri Rosso is fermented in cement tanks, followed by a short period ageing in large French oak. It is beautifully expressive with strong varietal character and impressive purity. The ‘Maestro di Cava’ is made from a selection of the estate’s best Cabernet Franc. Released later, after a longer period of oak ageing, it has a lovely tobacco leaf character typical of the best wines made from this variety in Bolgheri. Both wines are clear signs that a new star is rising in this famed region.

Deep ruby red in colour, this wine displays expressive aromas of red fruits with hints of tobacco and leather. On the palate it is full-bodied and juicy, with concentrated ripe black fruit flavours and fine tannins that carry onto a velvety and surprisingly savoury finish.