Size:0.75 l Type:Red Country:Italy Region:Toscana Denomination:Bolgheri Superiore DOC Grapes:Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc Aging:18 months in 500-litre wooden barrels Alcohol content:14.5% Service temperature:16/18°C Vintage:2013 Like all great wines, the foundations of the Bolgheri Superiore Fratini from Tenuta Hortense can be found in the vineyard. That is to say, when you harvest quality in the countryside, all you need do is not ruin it in the cellar. This objective has been more than achieved thanks to a brain trust, the likes of which not even NASA can boast of having. It is made up of the agronomists Gianni Moscardini, Xavier Choné and Pedro Parra (the latter participated in the Chilean Agroprecision study by Nelson Muñoz J.), and by the winemakers Emiliano Falsini and Eric Boissenot (the former is a consultant to Chateaux Lafite-Rothschild, Margaux, Mouton-Rothschild). In the cellar, the bare minimum was done to enhance the splendid goodness that the vineyard produces: spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, long macerations and 18 months of ageing in 500-litre wooden barrels. The result is a powerful wine with elegant tannins, which will floor you with its immense olfactory breadth. This is the first foray for this winemaker, who – we are certain – we will be hearing a lot more about.