Corzano e Paterno Toscana Rosso il Corzanello 2024

Corzano e Paterno Toscana Rosso il Corzanello 2024

The estate is technically outside of Chianti Classico, but by a mere few hundred yards. The wines, however, are easily the equal of those of many a famous name inside the zone. - Stephen Tanzer

Corzano e Paterno is the marriage of two 70ha farms (140ha total) by Swiss Architect Wendel Gelpke in the late 1960s and throught the 70s. His first purchase, Corzano, was in 1969 - a farm in San Casciano di Val di Pesa, originally owned by an ancient noble Florentine family that was forced to sell to satifsy the family's many heirs. It lacked modern machinery, running water, electricity and heating and was managed by hand - the fields dotted with scattered vines and still-bearing olive trees. Wendel and his nephew Aljoscha planted vineyards and continued to graze sheep as a way to clear abandoned fields - the sheep providing an opportunity for Wendel to make cheese, adding to the mixed farming of grape harvesting, olive oil production and making hay that also occurred on the property. 

In 1975 Wendel purchased the neighbouring property La Fattoria di Paterno, also 70ha in size, known locally for its lush gardens and abundant water supply. The family soon grew and so too did the sharecropping system - Wendel met wife Susan, and their children Arianna and Sibilla along with Aljoscha continued to aim for self-sufficiency. 

The vineyards were Wendel and Aljoscha's special concern. After the initial planting of six hectares and the first, embarrassing attempts at winemaking, they produced a more refined and ultimately high-quality wine. Aljoscha oversaw the winemaking until 2005. Since then, Arianna has been responsible for it, assisting Aljoscha in general administration and agricultural work.

20 hectares are dedicated to vines now or farmed and certified organic - with plantings of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Malvasia, Trebbiano, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, planted South-West facing on steep stony slopes at 300m above sea level on a mixture of gravel, clay and limestone soils.

As with the rest of the property - the winery has just what is required to make pure, expressive wines. The philosophy is simple - qualitative wines, chasing purity, where concrete and large oak play a large part in providing freshness and tension.

Il Corzanello is a mixture of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet from the youngest vineyards, and the coolest areas on the property. 2024 a vintage of inherent freshness, and elegance, a cooler year but one that has no rush or forcefulness around picking times. 

58% Sangiovese, 24% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sangiovese and Merlot harvested together - cold soaked for 5 days prior to 7 days on skins, fermented in stainless steel. The Cabernet picked a month later - and macerated for 8 days prior to blending with the Sangiovese and Merlot. The subesequent blend is aged in concrete for 6 months before bottling. 13% alcohol.

A touch of earth and tar gives way to a beautiful fragrant just ripe strawberry, raspberry, morello cherry and soft wood herbs with rosemary and transparent jelly crystals. There's an underlying energy here that carries a deft darkness of fruit, but the abundance of freshness, perfume and clarity gives a flirtatious red hue of fruit. It's vibrant and crunchy, light to mid weight and has a sense of purity, finishing with a flutter of grip and classic Italianate tannin. The perfect mid week crusher, its decidedly delicious and incredibly moreish.