Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice Melini 2012 - 37.5cl
The Occhio di Pernice by Melini is a Vin Santo from Chianti Classico with an amber yellow color that recalls, indeed, the partridge. It is aged for more than 10 years in small oak barrels called "caratelli", acquiring a full, harmonious character with long persistence. It emanates scents of plum, blackberry, violet, and tobacco and can be paired with both dry pastries with cream and flavorful, well-aged cheeses. Very suitable also as a meditation wine
The Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice from the Tuscan winery Melini is a full-bodied and intense dessert wine, with great impact. The type ‘Occhio di Pernice’ indicates a Vin Santo made from a base of red grapes, hence the reference to the reddish color of the eye of this species of bird, unlike the more generic Vin Santo del Chianti Classico which is traditionally made from white grape varieties. In particular, Sangiovese must represent at least 80% of the blend of Occhio di Pernice, with the remaining part being completed by other red or even white grapes.
The Occhio di Pernice Melini Vin Santo del Chianti Classico originates from a solid base of Sangiovese combined with smaller percentages of the international grape varieties Pinot and Syrah, cultivated at 350 meters above sea level on calcareous-clay soils rich in skeleton. After manual harvesting, the bunches are left to dry on mats in specially ventilated rooms. This is followed by the slow alcoholic fermentation of the must in traditional caratelli, that is, small wooden barrels, the same containers in which the wine ages for over 10 years. The aging takes place in the so-called “vinsantaia”, a room characterized by strong temperature fluctuations between day and night that contribute to the delicate oxidative character of the wine.
The Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice from the Melini estate has an intense amber-yellow color. The wide and rich olfactory profile is defined by sensations of plum, dried fig, candied blackberry and raspberry, dried violet, honey, walnut, tobacco, and wood wax. Full, complex, and harmonious taste development, characterized by an enveloping sweetness that is accompanied by a warm alcoholic embrace and a long savory persistence.