Sassotondo Franze 2020

Sassotondo Franze 2020, the terroir of Sovana

In the Franze 2020, what I remember first is an unexpected pairing: the Ciliegiolo, bringing elegance, and the Teroldego, whose tannins give it a firm structure. Made from a single vineyard plot and aged in previously used French oak barrels, this organic red from the Toscana IGP carries an expression built with patience, without trying to hide its origin.

A tuff cru in the heart of Tuscany

The Sassotondo estate lies in southern Tuscany, around Sorano and Pitigliano, in the landscape of the former volcanic basin of Bolsena. Edoardo Ventimiglia, a film cameraman in Rome, and his wife Carla Benini chose to leave the world of film sets after discovering this region. They devoted themselves to reviving an abandoned estate, with the ambition of producing wines rooted in their territory. Franze comes from a single cru in Sovana, where the vines grow on tuff soils. Planted between 1998 and 2003, they are cultivated according to organic principles.

The Ciliegiolo and the Teroldego are hand-harvested, then vinified separately. Fermentation takes place without added yeasts and lasts 25 to 30 days, maceration included. For the 2020 vintage, the wine then spends twelve months in used French oak barrels. Franze is produced only in years deemed particularly favorable: a decision that sets this cuvée apart from wines made every year. The available description specifies neither the exact color of its robe nor any particular aromas; I therefore prefer not to invent fruit or spice notes for it. It does, however, emphasize the blend of the robust tannins of the Teroldego and the elegance of the Ciliegiolo. The tasting markers place it at 6 out of 9 between fruity and spicy, at 3 out of 9 between youthfulness and aging, and at 6 out of 9 between lightness and body: a red of medium to firm structure, where the wood remains restrained.

At the table, without rushing its tannins

I would serve it with roasted white meats or red meats, pairings suggested for this wine and consistent with its tannic structure. A simple cooking method, accompanied by vegetables or herbs, will leave more room for the wine than an overly powerful sauce. You can also save it for a meal where you take the time to revisit the contrast between the two grape varieties and the vineyard work that characterizes it. Franze 2020 tells the story of a less expected Tuscany, that of tuff lands and patient choices: a bottle to open when you want a red with character, without expecting from it aromas that the available notes do not document.