Lornano Vinsanto del Chianti Classico 2011

Vin Santo is Italy’s iconic dessert wine, and “the customary finale to even the humblest Tuscan meal, served after espresso, almost always with a small plate of biscotti … for dunking” (The Wine Bible). Taking its name, “holy wine,” from its history as a communion wine, Vin Santo has been sipped for centuries. Your taste of this Italian treasure comes from talented father-son duo Franco and Matteo Bernabei, and the historic Lornano family estate.

Franco is one of Italy’s most decorated winemakers, and he and his son worked closely with the Taddei family (who’ve been farming the land here since 1904). They’ve followed the traditional, painstaking process that’s also used to make Italy’s prized reds like Amarone and Valpolicella.

This sweet story begins in Castellina in Chianti, a subzone of the premium Chianti Classico region. While you’ll see ‘Chianti’ on the label, the grapes used here are a classic Vin Santo marriage of 50% Malvasia and 50% Trebbiano, harvested from a tiny six-acre vineyard. After months of careful air drying on straw mats (turning each grape into a tiny, intense knot of flavor), the fruit was gently crushed and treated to a luxurious slumber in fine French oak. The traditional aging period is a minimum of three years, but Franco and his son opted for six years in barrel to bring added complexity.

A brilliant amber in the glass, Lornano Vin Santo brims with rich dried fruit, honey, and vanilla, offering a soft, warm, and lingering finish. The perfect end to an enjoyable evening with friends – serve with biscotti for dipping (as they do in Tuscany) and savor its heavenly flavors.

Like all precious things, production levels are tiny and we’ve very few bottles to go around. Prompt orders recommended.

Note: 375 ml bottle