2016 Fattoria Le Pupille, Syrah, IGT

I reviewed this wine last year but welcomed the opportunity to taste it again one year later. My score has not changed, but I have extended the drinking window by a few years. The Fattoria le Pupille 2016 Le Pupille is an ambitious expression of amphorae-fermented Syrah. It presents cherry and dark plum, with earthy tones followed by tarry spice and campfire smoke. The meaty intensity normally associated with the Syrah grape is replaced here by plump and rich dark fruit. Give the wine a little extra time in your cellar to evolve and unwind.

2015 was the first vintage of this wine based on plant material sourced in a Burgundian nursery. From two vineyards, one 1.5 ha above the winery planted on cool sandstone in 2002 facing east and the other, Pian di Fiora, planted in 2000 where the Petit Manseng grows, just 0.5 ha of tuff and alabaster. Fermented in 500-litre terracotta pots made from Tuscan clay. Hand-destemmed grapes and 5% whole bunch. Kept on skins until the end of March! Racked, blended and put into 300-litre second-use oak for 15 months. Bottled at the end of March 2018. 4,000 bottles only. Deep blackish garnet. Savoury nose and sweet palate with some distinct herbiness and salinity. It seems a little more Maremma than varietal to me (nothing wrong with that) – although some pepper came out eventually. Richer and riper than many Syrahs. Initially the tannins seemed a bit raw but they had certainly softened in an opened bottle. Another bold wine. In this case Elisabetta Geppetti's daughter Clara is in charge. (JR)