2004 Castello Del Terriccio Lupicaia

Winery's Notes

First produced in 1993, this is the estate's flagship wine. It takes its name from a local hill where tradition says wolves have been seen. “Lupi” meaning wolves and “Aia”- area. Lupicaia has received many national and international awards and is considered one of the best wines produced in Italy. It is a big wine, full-bodied, with complex flavourings. A wine made for ageing and savouring slowly. The grapes used for Lupicaia are Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot starting from vintage 2010, whereas till vintage 2009 Merlot was sometimes blended in.

Each variety is aged separately in Allier oak barrique(225lt.) and larger Allier tonneaux (500lt.) for about 22 months, then blended and stored for a further period in bottles before sale. The two red lines on the label represent the soil in the vineyards, a brownish-red getting its colour from the iron extracted by the Etruscans in this region. This wine is the fruit of the utmost care received throughout its production, such as manual selection of the best grapes and ageing in oak. Production is 30,000 bottles per year.

LUPICAIA The soil is calcareous-sandy, with the presence of rocky structure. Discreet equipment of mineral elements and organic substance. Exposition in direction south. Low yields, due to the age of the vines. The grapes therefore gain structure, complexity and fragrance. These factors combine to give the Lupicaia an impressive breadth of structure and high levels of polyphenols.