Basilica del Cortaccio

Basilica del Cortaccio, an elite vineyard in Cafaggio, comprises 4.2 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, with sensorial attributes that reflect a fine ‘terroir’, evoking the variety of origin. Produced for the first time in 1989, the Basilica del Cortaccio variety is grown according to the principles of organic farming.

• Vine:Cabernet Sauvignon (clones: 338-118-191-151- 169; rootstock: 110 Richter)
• Vineyard location:Cortaccio, Conca d’Oro and Panzano in Chianti
• Exposure and altitude:south-west, 355 m ASL
• Soil composition:silty-clay loam soil, originating from grey and olive green marl limestone and calcareous sandstone of ‘Argille scagliose’ (scaly clay) formation.
• Training system:spurred cordon
• Planting density:7,200 vines/hectare
• Vinification process: manual harvesting in mid-October, alcoholic fermentation at controlled temperatures in stainless steel tanks, breaking and soaking of the marc through manual pressing and pump-overs with air, spontaneous malolactic fermentation, maturation for 18 months in French oak (Tronçais and Allier) barriques that have been used once previously (medium-toasted), and bottle-aged for six months before sales start.

Basilica Solatìo was previously produced from 1981 to 1995, and is back on the scene with its 2010 vintage, aiming to become the emblem of Villa Cafaggio Chianti Classico Riserva. This wine is obtained from the finest grapes in the Solatìo vineyard, in which the Sangiovese variety was planted in the early nineties, and which covers 2,2 hectares in one of the most sun-exposed sites of the entire “Conca d’Oro”.

• Vine:Sangiovese (clone T19; rootstock: 1103 Paulsen)
• Vineyard location:Solatìo, Conca d’Oro and Panzano in Chianti
• Exposure and altitude: south, 345 m ASL
• Soil composition: silty-clay loam soil, originating from grey and olive green marl limestone and calcareous sandstone of ‘Argille scagliose’ (scaly clay) formation.
• Training system: spurred cordon
• Planting density:5,400 vines/hectare
• Vinification process: manual harvesting in early October, alcoholic fermentation at controlled temperatures in stainless steel tanks, breaking and soaking of the marc through manual pressing and pump- overs with air, long post-alcoholic maceration of the submerged caps, spontaneous malolactic fermentation, maturation for 30 months in medium-sized Slavonian oak barrels, further maturation for 12 months in glass-lined cement vats and bottle- aged for six months before sales start.

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