Sassotondo Tuforosso 2022

Tuforosso 2022, Sassotondo's lively red

In the Tuforosso 2022, I find a singular alliance: the freshness of red fruit, a dry and warm palate, and supple tannins that don't seek to dominate. This organic red from Tuscany combines Sangiovese, Merlot and Teroldego; its aging in stainless steel tanks leaves room for the fruit and the expression of the terroir.

The tuff soils around Sovana

Sassotondo Tuforosso is an IGP Toscana made from 60% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 20% Teroldego. The vines grow in the Sovana plots, in southern Tuscany, on loose, acidic tuff soils, poor in organic matter but rich in minerals, notably potassium, magnesium and sodium. This volcanic earth is one of the defining features of the Sassotondo winery and its surroundings.

The estate's story begins in 1990, when Edoardo Ventimiglia, a film camera operator, and Carla Benini, an agronomist engineer, left their professions to take over a small estate then abandoned. Their discovery of the Pitigliano and Sovana region, after a sommelier course in Rome, led them to work these lands and promote local grape varieties. Sassotondo is particularly associated with championing Ciliegiolo, a red grape of the Maremma. The Tuforosso, for its part, blends local and international varieties.

The harvest is manual, at the moment judged optimal for ripeness. Each grape variety is vinified separately, with indigenous yeasts, and fermentation with maceration lasts fifteen to twenty days. The wine then matures for a few months in stainless steel tanks. On tasting, the available notes do not specify the color of the robe; the nose opens on plum and other red fruits. The palate is dry and warm, balanced by refreshing acidity. The tannins, smooth and enveloping, give a sensation of suppleness. It is a young, fruity red with a present body and no oak aging.

At the table, from everyday meals to meat dishes

I would serve it with poultry or another white meat, whose delicacy complements its fruit and acidity, but also with charcuterie. For a more generous table, it also goes with red meats. Its approachable profile and supple tannins make it a choice you can open without waiting for a solemn occasion: a shared meal is enough. If you want to taste an organic red from the hills of Sovana, shaped by tuff soils and an unusual blend, the Tuforosso 2022 deserves its place at the table.