Tenuta Le Calcinaie Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2024, Tuscany, Organic

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one of Tuscany’s historic white wines, and this certified organic example comes from Tenuta Le Calcinaie, Simone Santini’s estate about three kilometres from the town. The Vernaccia vines grow on sandier topsoils full of fossils, over the layers of Pliocene marine limestone that give the estate its name, in a Mediterranean climate of hot summers and mild winters. The grapes are picked by hand and the wine is made entirely in stainless steel: after cold settling, the must ferments at 16°C for around three weeks, and the wine then rests on its lees until the following spring.

It is a clear straw yellow in the glass. The nose is intensely fruity and lively, with green apple, white flowers and hints of peach. The palate is fresh, fragrant and energetic yet delicate, with a savoury, mineral character and a gentle hint of bitter almond on the finish.

Serve chilled, at around 8–10°C. It is lovely with seafood, grilled fish, white meats, creamy pasta, risotto and fresh or lightly aged cheeses, and makes a fine aperitif. Drink it young for its freshness, within two to three years.

Tenuta Le Calcinaie is a small estate run by Simone Santini, about three kilometres from San Gimignano in the hills of Siena province, Tuscany. Simone planted his first hectare of Vernaccia in 1986, added Sangiovese and other red varieties on higher, clay-rich ground in 1989, and released his first wine, a pure Sangiovese, from the 1993 vintage. The estate takes its name from the ‘calcina’, the layers of limestone from ancient Pliocene marine deposits that lie about half a metre below the surface, topped with clay, sand and fossils. Today there are 12 hectares of vines, mostly Vernaccia and Sangiovese. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 1995 and the wines are certified organic. A new underground cellar was completed in 2006, production is around 70,000 bottles a year, and the winemaking is increasingly hands-off.