Massa Vecchia Poggio a' Venti 2022

Massa Vecchia is a small estate in the Alta Maremma, on the slopes of the Colline Metallifere near Massa Marittima, founded in 1985 by Fabrizio Niccolaini and his wife Patrizia Bartolini. Of its six hectares, only 3.6 are planted to vines, with the rest given over to olive trees and cereals. Farmed organically from the start and later biodynamically, it is one of the founding names of Italian natural wine, working with native yeasts, long macerations, no filtration and little or no added sulphur.

Poggio a' Venti is the estate's single-vineyard Sangiovese, from a plot of just over a hectare planted in 2003 at around 500 metres above sea level. Made from 100% Sangiovese and fermented with native yeasts, it captures the depth and breadth of the Maremma hills. Expect dark cherry, dried herbs and earthy, savoury notes, with firm tannins and a long finish. A wine for slow-cooked game, wild boar ragù or aged pecorino.