If the area of the southern Tuscan Coast has its own wine history based on indigenous vines, such as Sangiovese and Ciliegiolo, and the central one is firmly guarded by the wines of Bolgheri, to the north it is difficult to identify an equally developed productive tradition. For this reason it is even more surprising the incredible positioning work that the Duemani farm has been able to do in just twenty years of history. The success story of this winery becomes even more emblematic if we consider that this is entirely ascribed to the stubbornness of its owners, Elena Celli and Luca d’Attoma, who decided to continue the project despite the pre-implant analysis had given a very unsuccesful result.
In fact, the first lands identified, located on a slope of Riparbella, a small town in the municipality of Pisa, were steep and extreme because they were uncultivated for years, full of stones and in a state of semi-abandonment. Nevertheless, Elena (who today deals with the administrative part) and Luca (one of the most prestigious Italian oenologists) decided to plant the first 7 hectares of Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with a very clear project: revitalize those soils by means of biodynamic principles. Today, another three hectares have been added in the nearby Castellina Marittima, where the new winery is also located (finished in 2014), and the production philosophy has not changed; on the contrary, the Demeter certification has also arrived, without doubt the most famous and rigorous biodynamic certification. The rest is made by the climate, the favorable weather conditions and a lot of work in the vineyard, almost exclusively manual, except for sporadic interventions operated with small light tractors.
From the 17-year-old Cabernet Franc vineyards, the Vigna Alta and the Vigna di Mezzo, in Riparbella, 250 metres above sea level, was born DueMani’s standard-bearer the Duemani Cabernet Franc. It is a wine made from vines planted with a density of 8400 samples per hectare, from which are obtained, after careful harvest selection, no more than 800 grams of grapes per plant. After a second selection in the cellar, the subsequent spontaneous fermentation in conical vats, and a one month maceration, the wine ages for just under two years in barrique, new to 80%, before being bottled without filtration, and being marketed.
The 2016 vintage has a color between intense violet and ruby, with an olfactory range that opens on notes of cooked plum, date, tomato concentrate and vinyl, followed by mulberry, pot pourri, oil and carob, with final echoes of vanilla, carpentry, pyric powder and incense. The olfactory density is declined in the palate with a mix in which the balsamic freshness balances an almost sweet glyceric softness, with a contour of tannins of rare refinement and the aftertaste return of fruit, the vegetal recallings and the darker spices that accompany the sip until an almost interminable closure.
Rating: 93/100
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