Vin Santo di Carmignano (2009)

About this wine

This 2009 Vin Santo from Tenuta di Artimino in Tuscany is made in the traditional Carmignano style, based on Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca Lunga. After harvest, the grapes are dried, then pressed and the must ferments and ages in small wooden caratelli, a hallmark of Vin Santo production in this area. Expect a deep golden to amber color with classic aromas of dried fruit, honey, and apricot, often followed by walnut, almond, and a gentle oxidative note. The palate is full and silky with concentrated sweetness, lifted by a refreshing line of acidity that keeps it from feeling heavy. The finish is persistent and layered, lingering with dried fruit and nut tones. Artimino’s estate centers on the historic Medici villa La Ferdinanda, built in 1596, linking the wine to one of Tuscany’s most storied hilltop sites.

About the grape

Trebbiano, usually Trebbiano Toscano in Tuscany, is one of Italy’s most widely planted white grapes and has long been valued in Vin Santo because it keeps firm acidity even when the bunches are dried before pressing. Malvasia Bianca Lunga has been grown for centuries in central Tuscany and was historically paired with Trebbiano in mixed vineyards, it even featured in the nineteenth century Chianti recipe associated with Bettino Ricasoli. In a classic Vin Santo like the 2009 Tenuta di Artimino, these two varieties are traditionally hand harvested, dried for several months in a well ventilated loft, then pressed and fermented slowly before long aging in small caratelli, a method that suits Malvasia’s ability to handle oxidative aging while Trebbiano helps keep the structure intact.

Quick facts

• 🏰 It is made on the Medici estate of Artimino, centered on Villa La Ferdinanda, built in 1596 and nicknamed the “Villa of the Hundred Chimneys”, now part of the Medici Villas and Gardens UNESCO listing.
• 📜 Carmignano is one of Tuscany’s historically “protected” wine zones, it was singled out in Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici’s landmark wine edict dated September 24, 1716.
• ❄️ Vin Santo di Carmignano rules are unusually specific about timing, after drying the grapes, pressing is only allowed between December 1 and March 31, meaning the 2009 wine was effectively “born” from a winter press.
• 🍇 The Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca Lunga blend is not random, the Vin Santo di Carmignano DOC framework is built around these two grapes as the classic base of the style.
• 🪵 Artimino’s Vin Santo tradition relies on tiny barrels called caratelli for long aging, and by the time you open a 2009 today it has already enjoyed a slow, extended life that most white wines never get.

Palate profile

Producer

Tenuta di Artimino centers on the Villa Medicea La Ferdinanda, built in 1596 for Ferdinando I de Medici on a historic Etruscan site, and it preserves Renaissance architecture and frescoes. The estate has been cultivated for centuries and its vineyards form part of the Carmignano and Chianti Montalbano terroirs, with a modern agricultural estate of several hundred hectares. The property was developed as a commercial winery and hospitality venue by the Olmo family in the 1980s, and today it is managed by the descendants Francesco Spotorno Olmo and Annabella Pascale. Villa La Ferdinanda and the Medici villas and gardens group were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, and the estate now combines wine production with tourism and olive oil making.