Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2019, Poliziano

As noble as its name implies, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano is the flagship wine of the southern Tuscan estate of Poliziano. Deep-coloured, juicy and intense, with flavours of dark cherries and ripe plums, it has the richness, tannic structure and balance to reward keeping, even if with suitable decanting it can be enjoyed more immediately. Made predominantly from the Montepulciano variant of Sangiovese – Prugnolo Gentile – balanced with a complementary component of Colorino, Canaiolo and Merlot. Picking is done exclusively by hand, after which individual berries are selected using an optical sorter, to ensure the fruit is 100% pristine. Fermentation in conical stainless steel vats, then ageing 14-16 months in barrels of varying sizes.