Earlier in the month Fattorie dei Dolfie held a fabulous tasting at the Gaggenau showroom in London to celebrate the launch of its new range of investment-grade fine wines. OenoFuture Director Daniel Carnio was invited along to host and share his thoughts on this relatively young estate with a remarkably bright future.
Giovanni Dolfie initially pursued a very successful career as a horse trainer during which he had the opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth II and began working for Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta, the owner of the legendary Tenuta San Guido which produces Sassicaia. Through this connection he was introduced to the estate’s winemaker, Giacomo Tachis, who is regarded as the father of Sassicaia. From then on Giovanni’s fate was sealed and it was only a matter of time before he and Giacomo began exploring how to unlock the potential of his family’s vineyards close to the city of Pisa.
Daniel describes Giovanni’s project as “a small paradise” thanks to his relentless commitment to quality in his vineyards. Most of Fattorie dei Dolfie’s plots are surrounded by woodland which helps to shield the vines from contamination from other forms of agriculture and preserves a high degree of diversity in the natural environment. As well as creating a very low incidence of disease, this also means the estate does not need to use any chemicals on the vines.
To allow the remarkable quality of the fruit to shine through, Giovanni uses a light touch in the winery as well with his wines ageing in oak barrels previously used for Sassicaia. The estate’s top wines will be produced in tiny quantities of a few thousand bottles a year, making them highly attractive for investors and collectors of fine and rare Italian wines.
The Artorius and Imeneus red wines are both crafted using the Prugnolo Gentile grape which is the Sangiovese clone used in Montepulciano. The former is an easy-going style ideal for enjoying with family and friends alongside a simple, wholesome meal, while Imeneus is a more serious red with an intensely complex flavour profile and high investment potential.
Finally, Bianco Per Amore is Giovanni’s personal project, created to be a wine that he himself would like to drink, and it certainly does not disappoint connoisseurs of fine white Burgundy and other complex white wines. Made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot grapes, Giovanni will only produce a thousand cases of this special wine and will of course be retaining a significant proportion of this for his own drinking pleasure!
