Il Moro di Sangiovanni is an estate in the Orcia DOC of Tuscany.

Owner: Daniela Pavese. Her family name is Kiussioglou (Greek Turkish). She lives in Monte Carlo. She was married to a Genovese industrialist called Sebastiano Camelli but he died in 2011. She bought a house in Montechiello (the house here is for agritourism) in 1980. She bought Il Moro in around 2000 and started planting vines in 2003, then she bought the vines above the village.

Staff: Manager Iolanda Tinarelli (335.1893288). Met her at Wine2Wine in Dec 2014. Met again at Il Moro di San Giovanni d’Asso 22 Sept 2015. Iolanda had her own farm in Umbria via which she got to know Riccardo Cotarella but she then sold it to Americans.  Agronomist Laura Bernini (from Perugia, works with Paolini). She works in the Maremma but never works in Umbria. She started with Val di Piatta. Her sister was the wife of Caporale.  Sales Delphine Veissière (French, from Bordeaux). Consultant Mauro Monichi took over from Andrea Franchetti from around 2011 as winemaking consultant. Il Moro’s owner wanted lighter wines, not over-ripe ones.

Vineyards: 5ha of vines (100% red Bordeaux varietals) in total on three properties. | #1 Around the house [good area for white truffles] there are 11 hectares of land of which there are 2ha of vines: CF, PV. The rootstocks are GraveSac on the high part and 4453 on the lower part. Different clones. 350 metres. Took 20 days to plant the 2ha of vines by hand. Radoux supplied the plants (Andrea Franchetti is a friend of the owner and it was his suggestion). Also here there is some bosco. Big problem with wild boar. | #2 Vines nearby in the village of San Giovanni d’Asso. 2ha of CS (Gravesac and 4453). 4 zones for blending/winemaking. Here a bit lowers, low part has stones. High/low/left/right. Lighter wines. Cooler than at the winery. Lighter and more aromatic. | #3 Another 1ha in Montechiello (25km away). 450-500 metres. In front of Mount Amiata above the Orcia river. 100% Petit Verdot. 1m x 1.2m 8,500 vines/ha. Also roughly 1.5ha of olives (old trees, wide spaced). ‘Strong wines: 3,000 of anthocyanins, 110 polyphenols total. Isolated – gets eaten by boar and roebuck. Not very aromatic PV. Has a brett taste. Gives mouthfeel,’ says Mauro Monicchi.

Organics: 2016 Not organic. No systemics they say. They plough and sow cereals over winter and leave the stubs in spring. “Use a Bobard for weeding – good for BDX but here does not drain as well. Also have a cingiolino. Very dry at this spot = small berries. Tough clay = hard for ionic/cationic exchange, hard for vines to get food,” says Monicchi.

Winemaking: The wine is made here at Il Moro. Andrea Franchetti designed the winery. Hand picked. Start with CF, then CS. PV the last to be picked. Destemmed. Steel vats on first floor. Fermentation. Cooling with water. Run by gravity (peristaltic pumps). Soft pressing as low yields. Then to barrels (some used, some new). MLF in barrel (depends on the year). Monicchi said ‘I would like to start with cold grapes on skins but this is hard with the winery we have. I want to avoid too quick a rise up to 28ºC. I want a maceration time of 3-4 weeks in total. I decide via tasting when to run off. Punch down and pump over.’

Production: Max 20,000 bottles here. 2013 small crop. 2014 small crop.

Prices: 2015 The grand vin is about 50 euros ex cellars. #2 Fiore de Moro is about 20 euros.

Sales: Sold in California via Mercer in LA (specialises in Burgundy, BDX). Working with them since 2012.

Red wines

Fiore del Moro: Second wine. | 2011 Hot year. Vines did suffer, dehydrating the grapes, hard to manage the alcohol (16%). ! 2012 Hot year in a series of hot years. Not as hot as 2011 when vines did suffer, drying grapes, hard to manage the alcohol (16%). Hot in 2012 with rain at the start of the season so got good maturation, helped by the clay soils which retain water. On this soil vines manage to keep their leaves says Mauro Monicchi. Nice sappy red fruit, made to be drunk a bit earlier than the grand vin. Planted 45% each CS and CF and 10% PV. Lovely savoury tannins, clean, clear fruit, juicy and ripe with nice weight and structure. “Just digesting its wood,” says Mauro. 18 months in oak roughly (14-20 months depending). Says this needs one more year in bottle to settle down before release. 13.5% on label but would be 14%.

Il Moro: 2007 Riper, ripe berries, raisined fruit, nice but a bit simple and starting to dry out; also some stinky barrels. | 2010 Much cleaner nose than 2007. Mauro Monicchi blended this. Quite high alcohol, warm sticky fruit style but well done if not upto 2012 or 2013. | 2012 This is made with the ripest grapes from the better plots. Very bright creamy fruit and oak, soft with nice peppery tannins behind. May take grapes from the top part of the row and stop at where the slope starts. MM feels “it needs another year in bottle so that slightly bitter taste disappears but I am hyper-sensitive to bitterness.” | 2015 Hot winds = risk of pH rise and shrivelled berries and high alcohol (15% or more).

Contact

Il Moro di Sangiovanni

14 Strada Vicinale del Moro

53020 San Giovanni d’Asso (SI), Italy

Tel+39 0577.803129 | Website: www.ilmorodisangiovanni.com