The Salcheto Portfolio: Innovation and Sustainability in Montepulciano
The Salcheto winery is a true modern marvel. It's a circular building with a cellar that descends over 18 meters (nearly 60 feet) into the earth, surrounded by a vertical garden that aids in natural insulation. On the roof, a system of sprinklers fed from recycled water provides a low-energy way to cool the entire cellar. You will also see large dome-shaped glass bulbs that capture natural light and reflect it down a set of tubes and angled mirrors, flooding the three levels of the winery below with light and removing the need for artificial lighting. The larger of these tubes can even be repurposed during harvest and used as a shoot to drop grapes into the vats below, taking full advantage of gravity to move the fruit without the use of electrical pumps. Every detail is meticulously thought out for maximum efficiency and sustainability. Inside the winery, the stainless steel vats for fermentation are designed to capture the CO2 naturally produced during fermentation and repurpose it to gently mix the juice and skins. This pioneering technology removes the need for electrical pumps and helps prevent oxygenation, which is a key technical function that removes the need for sulfites to protect the wine from spoilage.
As for the winemaking, all fermentations are done with native yeasts, and oxygen exposure and SO2 use are kept to an absolute minimum, with zero added for the Obvius line. There is no use of additives of any kind, the wines are unfined, and go through a very light filtration, removing only the largest solids that can cause spoilage. Depending on the wine, the aging process can involve only stainless steel or a combination of stainless, large Slavonian oak, and smaller French tonneaux, with a majority of the oak being previously used.
Read on for the specifics of each wine produced at the Salcheto Winery.
The Fiasco Toscana IGT
Winemaking: This 3-liter bag-in-box wine is a modern take on Tuscany's traditional straw-wrapped glass jug traditionally called the ‘Fiasco’ bottle. The wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Mammolo, Merlot, and Colorino, with a package that reduces its carbon footprint by nearly 41% compared to a standard glass bottle.
Tasting Note: An easy-to-carry wine with a long pouring window once opened, it offers a balanced and elegant profile with full, intense fruit flavors. It is a high-quality, easy-drinking wine that embodies the essence of Tuscan winemaking heritage. The wine is of similar quality to the flagship NOBILE.
MSRP: ~ $75/box ($18.75/bottle equivalent)
Obvius Toscano Bianco IGT
Winemaking: This white wine is a blend of Trebbiano and Vermentino, crafted with a non-interventionist, "grapes-only" approach, with no added sulfites or other additives. It is fermented and matured in stainless steel and is unfiltered to provide a pure expression of the fruit.
Tasting Note: The wine offers a light and fresh profile with good minerality and soft stone fruit flavors. It has a fresh fruit character paired with a nutty, almost earthy note that comes through on the finish.
MSRP: ~ $25
Obvius Rosato di Toscana IGT
Winemaking: A blend of 90% Sangiovese with Canaiolo Nero, Mammolo, and Merlot fermented and matured in stainless steel with no added sulfites, yeasts, or any other additives. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Note: The wine presents a cherry pink color in the glass. The bouquet is a mix of scents, including carnation, cherries, wild strawberries, pomegranate, licorice, and a hint of flint. On the palate, it has a smoky savoriness and a berry undertone that returns to create a warm finish.
MSRP: ~$25
Obvius Rosso di Toscana IGT
Winemaking: This is a 100% Sangiovese expression from the estate's "Greppo" vineyard in Abbadia di Montepulciano. It is fermented and matured in stainless steel for four months with a six-month bottle refinement, and it contains no added sulfites, yeasts, or other additives and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Note: The bouquet is extroverted with mint and smoke nuances complemented by a burst of blackberry and raspberry jams. The palate is round and perfumed, focused on masses of wildberries and sweet spices, showcasing a wickedly fresh Sangiovese with a soft and juicy texture. It has a bright acidity that lifts the deep fruit flavors, balancing intensity and freshness.
MSRP: ~$25
Chianti ‘Biskero’ DOCG
Winemaking: An easy-drinking, everyday wine composed of 85% Sangiovese, with Canaiolo, Mammolo, and Merlot making up the rest of the blend. It is fermented and matured in stainless steel, with a portion of the wine seeing a quick 4 months in 300-liter American oak tonneaux to add a light layer of flavoring before release.
Tasting Note: This is a juicy, open, and cheerful wine with a fresh profile. The nose leads with iris and red berry aromas, while the palate offers juicy black fruit notes matched with earthy characteristics, smooth tannins, bright acidity, and a touch of white pepper spice. It is a medium-bodied wine with notes of black cherry, blueberry, and juniper, along with bitter herbs and allspice, that offers both freshness and depth not always found in Chianti.
MSRP: ~ $17
‘NOBILE’ Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Winemaking: Salcheto's classic Vino Nobile is a 100% Sangiovese expression of the estate. The grapes are fermented in a combination of stainless steel and large wooden vats. It is then aged for 18 months in large Slavonian oak casks and smaller French oak tonneaux before a minimum of six months of bottle refinement.
Tasting Note: A classic blend of dusty black cherries, cedar shavings, worn leather and tart citrus notes. The palate is full-bodied and structured, with savory red fruit, licorice, and a mineral quality on the finish. It has notes of sun-warmed raspberry and cherry, heady violets, and yellow broom, plums, hazelnuts, blood oranges, and an indulgent milk chocolate finish contrasted by smooth, suede-like tannins.
MSRP: ~$27
‘RISERVA’ Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Winemaking: A selection of grapes from the Vino Nobile vineyards, this wine is made with a unique methodology known as "Governo Toscano". It involves adding some slightly over-ripened, withered grapes to the fermentation, which creates a more concentrated and structured wine with smoother tannins. The wine is aged for 24 months in wood, followed by 12 more months in bottle.
Tasting Note: An elegant and powerful wine with spicy notes of clove and cinnamon over a clear fruit base of wild berries and black cherries. The palate is soft with a delicate fruit center and polished tannins, showing the fine use of wood. The nose offers dried orange peel, savory spices, mushrooms, and dry earth, with a firm and juicy palate of plum, violet, and tobacco, with flavors of aged black fruit and stewed strawberry.
MSRP: ~$50
‘SALCO’ Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Winemaking: This is the estate’s "cult wine," a single-vineyard cru from the oldest vines on the property. A specific clone of Sangiovese is harvested a little later to achieve a slight over-ripeness. The wine is aged for two years in wood and then up to four years in the bottle before release. It is only produced in the best vintages.
Tasting Note: An elegant, harmonious, and very classic wine with prominent earthy and spicy notes. The wine is potent and incredibly long, with a primary concentration that lasts through the structured finale. The nose is full of ripe plum, baking spice, menthol, and new leather, with additional notes of tar, spice, and dried fruit from the tertiary characteristics. The palate offers a core of juicy black cherry and crushed raspberry, accented by ground pepper and licorice, all supported by taut, refined tannins and fresh acidity.
MSRP: ~$60
