Wines
Poggio ArgentierA
Banditella
Winemaker: Gianpoalo Paglia & Fabrizio Moltard
In 1997, Gianpaolo Paglia and Justine Keeling purchased a run-down property in the appellation of Morellino di Scansano, close to the coastline and the National Park of Maremma. It was something of a case of Gianpaolo putting his money where his expertise lay – a qualified agronomist, he was, at the time, a PhD researcher in plant genetics at the University of Udine. Imagine the joy, then, of finding a property with the local clone of Sangiovese, Morellino, as well as the ‘native’ Alicante (it arrived some centuries ago from Spain) and Ciliegiolo, all planted on rolling terrain and free-draining sandy-limey soil. Then imagine the work of restoring the original farmhouse and cellars, plus further planting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, to eventually realise a total planting of 40 hectares.
The signature wine, Bellamarsilia, is an unoaked blend of 85% Morellino, 10% Ciliegiolo and 5% Alicante and exhibits the wild, briary fruit flavours of the Maremma with notes of liquorice, chocolate and sun-dried tomatoes. Capatosta is a selection of the best Sangiovese (95%) and Alicante (5%) from mostly 30-year-old vines, fermented in old open top barriques and aged in a combination of new and old Allier barriques, resulting in a full-bodied, elegant blockbuster that ideally expresses the Maremma terroir.
What’s new: Fonte 40 is 100% Fiano, named after the district in which the vineyard is located, Fonte Quaranta. This north facing vineyard overlooking Monte Amiata, the mountain that divides the areas of Scansano and Montalcino, provides a mineral elegance to temper Fiano’s typical rich, exotic fruit. Very limited (10 dozen imported), production is a miniscule 800 grams per vine!
Visit the wine-maker's website
Wines
2006 Fonte 40 IGT x 6
2006 Morellino di Scansano DOC ‘Bellamarsilia’ x 6
2005 Morellino di Scansano DOC ‘Capatosta’ x 6