2022 Canna Torta, IGT Toscana Bianco, Podere Le Ripi

Tasting note

An amphora aged orange wine that manages to have classic citrus rind flavours and a bite of tannin, whilst remaining fresh and laden with fruit. Pale golden in colour, the nose is savoury and bright, with apple skin, peach and waxy notes. The palate is clean and fresh, with a complex savoury character, fresh apple, lemon and orchard fruit flavours, a hint of herbs and a dry textural finish which lingers, developing nutty notes.

Our thoughts

Set in the south of Montalcino, Podere le Ripi is owned by Francesco Illy of the coffee dynasty, who took over in the late 1990s with a dream of transforming the former sheep farm into a self-sufficient, regenerative property embracing all forms of agriculture. Wine came later within this vision but soon became the main focus, largely through conventional, Sangiovese-based wines. This, however, is a little different, being made as a ‘natural’ wine with the oft-maligned grape variety Trebbiano Toscana (aka Ugni Blanc), fermented in terracotta and bottled without fining or filtering, with no added sulhpur. It boasts more lift and fruit than many such wines. The name, meanwhile, translates as ‘crooked barrel’, and is a nod to Illy’s gamekeeper’s ineffectual attempts to rid the vineyards of the wild boar who would munch through the grapes.