I Balzini

I Balzini D'Isanto is a wine estate in Italy, producing a Super Tuscan (wine),^[1] classified IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica),^[2] an official Italian classification designating the region of origin, rather than grape varieties or wine styles, allowing the use of foreign grape varieties to be added. The estates is owned by the D'Isanto family since 1980. The name "I Balzini" comes from the word "balze", the local name for the small terraces planted with vines.

History

The estate is in village of Barberino Val d'Elsa in the heart of Tuscany on the borders of the provinces of Florence and Siena. Surrounded with many important historic sites such as the former castle of Semifonte, destroyed during the period of the Communes in Florence. The octagonal chapel, a scale copy of Brunelleschi's Florentine dome, still looms over the surrounding countryside today.^[3] In 1980, the property of I Balzini was purchased by Vincenzo D'Isanto. Although vines almost certainly already existed on the site, around 1980, Vincenzo D'Isanto planted the majority of the vineyard.

Vineyard

The vineyard, 250 meters above sea-level, covers over 7 hectares and consists of the hills around the estate and 2 hectares in the neighbouring Barberino Val d'Elsa village. The grape variety are Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Mammolo. The soil is of sedimentary Pliocene origin, characterized by slit yellow sand layered with clay strata, and large amounts of marine fossils. The microclimate is characterized by considerable temperature swings between the day and the night, which increase during the harvest period. Harvest, based on traditional techniques and strict control of yields, is carried out by hand all through the year.^[4]^[5] The careful use of organic fertilizers, environmentally sustainable packaging and renewable energy allow the vines to reach an advanced age.^[6]

The Cellar

Grapes from each plot are fermented in separate vats in order to preserve the identity of the terroir on which the grapes have ripened. Upon completion of alcoholic fermentation, the wines are tasted before being drawn off to the fine wine vats. The wine is transferred by batches into barrels with a special “toasting” suited to the characteristics of the wine. Blending takes place after the first racking of the barrels. Then the ageing phase of the wine begins in the cellar, which takes between 18 and 20 months.. The wine is then left to rest in glass for at least a year to reach its maximum balance and expression of its best qualities. They are sold in the fourth year from harvesting. I Balzini Green Label, being a fresh and young product, is refined one year in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature and sold one year after the harvesting. I Balzini Red Label is aged 24 months in old barriques and refined around 18 months in bottle.

References

^ "Italian Wine Label Information". 2015. Tuscan wines which were precluded from claiming DOC or DOCG status because they broke traditional Italian winemaking norms (foreign grape varieties were used, and the wines were often matured in small, new oak barrels). Several of these wines earned global recognition and astronomical price tags - hence 'Super Tuscan'.
^ "I Balzini breaking the rules". 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-24. For a top Tuscan estate, it is not in a famous appellation, being just a few kilometres outside of the boundary of Chianti Classico. It could label suitably composed wines as Chianti Colli Fiorentini DOCG (no less) but it has chosen not to.
^ "I Balzini Wines Tuscany". 2005. The farm is in the heart of central Tuscany, on the borders of the provinces of Florence and Siena, in a magnificent countryside with many important historic sites such as the former castle of Semifonte. A major spurt of growth in 1181 saw the castle transformed into a hamlet surrounded by 3-km-long walls. This was the period of the Communes and Florence disapproved of this last bulwark of feudal power supported by a Germanic emperors combating the development of communal independence.
^ "In cantina". 2013. Each winery has its own harvesting technique. At I Balzini, the bunches of grapes are hand picked and placed carefully in baskets before being transported by tractor to the cellar, where they are loaded onto a belt and passed through a machine called a destemmer, which separates the grapes from their stems. Two workers cull by hand any bunches with imperfections.
^ "I Balzini". 2013. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-24. Grapes are selectively picked by hand when they are ripe into small baskets and fermented with temperature control to retain aromatics. The malolactic may take place as late as January–February of the following year as the fermentations can be very slow. The overall aim is for perfumed, elegant wines.
^ "I Balzini". 2013. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-30. by exploiting organic farming, environmentally sustainable packaging, the use of renewable energy, and a zero-energy winery. This results in excellent wines that are pleasant and suitable for ensuring consumer health and respect for the environment.

External links

https://www.ibalzini.it/

[1] "Italian Wine Label Information". 2015. Tuscan wines which were precluded from claiming DOC or DOCG status because they broke traditional Italian winemaking norms (foreign grape varieties were used, and the wines were often matured in small, new oak barrels). Several of these wines earned global recognition and astronomical price tags - hence 'Super Tuscan'.

[2] "I Balzini breaking the rules". 2015. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-24. For a top Tuscan estate, it is not in a famous appellation, being just a few kilometres outside of the boundary of Chianti Classico. It could label suitably composed wines as Chianti Colli Fiorentini DOCG (no less) but it has chosen not to.

[3] "I Balzini Wines Tuscany". 2005. The farm is in the heart of central Tuscany, on the borders of the provinces of Florence and Siena, in a magnificent countryside with many important historic sites such as the former castle of Semifonte. A major spurt of growth in 1181 saw the castle transformed into a hamlet surrounded by 3-km-long walls. This was the period of the Communes and Florence disapproved of this last bulwark of feudal power supported by a Germanic emperors combating the development of communal independence.

[4] "In cantina". 2013. Each winery has its own harvesting technique. At I Balzini, the bunches of grapes are hand picked and placed carefully in baskets before being transported by tractor to the cellar, where they are loaded onto a belt and passed through a machine called a destemmer, which separates the grapes from their stems. Two workers cull by hand any bunches with imperfections.

[5] "I Balzini". 2013. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-24. Grapes are selectively picked by hand when they are ripe into small baskets and fermented with temperature control to retain aromatics. The malolactic may take place as late as January–February of the following year as the fermentations can be very slow. The overall aim is for perfumed, elegant wines.

[6] "I Balzini". 2013. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-30. by exploiting organic farming, environmentally sustainable packaging, the use of renewable energy, and a zero-energy winery. This results in excellent wines that are pleasant and suitable for ensuring consumer health and respect for the environment.

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