Tenimenti Grieco 200 Metri Rosso, Tintilia del Molise 2022

The vines are grown in the San Martino in Pensilis subzone of DOC Molise, in Southern Central Italy. Located at altitudes of 300 metres above sea-level, the vineyard covers 4.5 hectares of medium textured soils in which the Tintilia vines thrive. Tintilia is a rare variety, unique to Molise and is the closest thing to the region’s signature variety. Taking its name from its dark coloured berries, the black-skinned variety is very low yielding and was progressively abandoned and replaced with higher yielding varieties. Although it is still only grown in tiny quantities, it is making a revival, producing high quality wines with excellent structure and acidity. The Tenimenti Grieco vines were planted in 2008 at a density of 4,200 vines per hectare and are spur cordon trained. The climate is Mediterranean, with warm, dry summers and mild winters. The vineyard is heavily influenced by its proximity to the Adriatic Sea; the coastal winds breeze through the vines, aerating the canopy and keeping the vines healthy. The vineyard is cultivated sustainably and is working towards the Equalitas certification. Harvesting takes place at the end of September, when the fruit has reached optimal ripeness. The wine’s name translates as ‘200 metres’, which refers to the minimum altitude above sea level that the production regulations require the vines to be planted at, in order to produce the socalled ‘hilltop grape’ of Tintilia Molise DOC.

The bunches were manually selected, the grapes were destemmed and crushed before being macerated on the skins, for two weeks at temperatures of 26°C. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks to retain the characteristics of the Tintilia variety. A gentle pressing took place and the young wines were blended before maturation in stainless steel lasting for four months. Bottling took place in the March to April of the year following the harvest.