A new variety: Pugnitello
The scientific research programmes carried out by San Felice included a project begun in 1987, in collaboration with the University of Florence, to collect examples of Tuscany’s rich heritage of native grape varieties with the goal of saving varieties in risk of going extinct. That collection was then planted in the Vitiarium experimental vineyard.
The collection consisted of some 270 vines, predominantly red grapes. The most promising of these San Felice subjected to microfermentations, to tests and analyses.
Among them emerged a true surpise: Pugnitello, so called because its clusters resemble a small fist. Positive test results led to the planting of a few heactares to the variety in order to conduct larger-scale experiment.
After years of vineyard research, pugnitello amply demonstrated qualities that make it a potential leader among Tuscan wines: a generous, well-structured red, with smooth tannins and aromas of remarkable complexity.
Numerous accolades have confirmed its accomplishment, even from the Government: in 2002 the Ministry of Agriculture added pugnitello to the Registro nazionale delle varietà di vite, and in 2003 the Regional Commission of Tuscany approved the insertion of pugnitello into the official Elenco delle varietà ammesse alla produzione di uva da vino nella Regione Toscana.
Pugnitello has received great attention from the wine press, with observers pointing out that its use could very well be an excellent direction fort the further development of sangiovese: it would satisfy both purists who concentrate on native Italian varieties as well as those who promote the “international varieties” (with cabernet sauvignon and merlot in front) by showing that these latter two grapes could be effectively replaced by local varieties, such as pugnitello.
As with many success stories, the drive to craft something new, in this case the “Chianti Classico di terza generazione”, or the Third Generation Chianti Classico, seems to find its direction in the past : from a native vine rediscovered and developed by Agricola San Felice through knowledge gained by means of a lengthy vineyard research project.
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