Fattoria Le Pupille Saffredi Maremma Toscana 2020

Critical Acclaim: 98 pts James Suckling; 95 pts Decanter; 95 pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

About the Wine: Saffredi is Fattoria Le Pupille’s flagship wine. This wine is the outcome of Elisabetta’s intuition and aspiration to make a great wine in Maremma, a wish realized with Giacomo Tachis’s precious help. Saffredi is a special dedication to Fredi, the one who inspired Elisabetta’s passion for wine.

Winemaker Tasting Notes: Dense ruby red. Very elegant and complex bouquet, with hints of blueberry, black currant, black cherry, sweet spices, boise and tobacco notes. Harmonious, with dense and integrated tannis of great finesse. Goes on for minutes.

"Impressive aromas of fresh herbs from the Tuscan coast, such as sage, mint, rosemary and thyme. Blackcurrants, too. Full-bodied with fine, chewy tannins that show beautiful length and consistency. Racy and beautiful, with lots of subtle and refined character. Slightly more cabernet sauvignon this year, which adds class to the wine. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 10% petit verdot. Give this about three or four years of bottle age. Try after 2027."- James Suckling. 

"Saffredi was first produced in 1987 and has rightfully forged its place in the pantheon of superTuscans. Elisabetta Geppetti's son, Ettore now oversees the estate's winemaking, and he told me that 2020 was ‘an Atlantic vintage’ with ‘left bank appeal’ – there's not usually so much freshness evident in Saffredi. This could have something to do with the lower proportion of Merlot in the blend, down from the usual 20% to 10% since Merlot struggled in this vintage. Black fruit aromas are supplemented with violets and balsamic notes, while in the mouth plentiful tannins grip cassis and spiced plum. There's a complexity of menthol, spice, chocolate and coffee, with a textured, woody mid-palate and a long, vibrant and youthful finish. Around 40,000 bottles produced."- Decanter. 

"The 2020 Saffredi reveals a very ripe and rich interpretation of this iconic wine made by Elisabetta Geppetti and her family. The blend of fruit is the same, but 2020 actually sees less oak intervention to allow that dark fruit to shine through. There is blackberry, perfumed rose, dried apricot, spice and sweet cinnamon. In all, the wine offers immediate fruit and a vertical delivery of flavors. Finding that combination of wine versus oak is not easy, Elisabetta tells me."- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Serving Suggestion: Hare pappardelle with pears in wine and smoked pecorino, pigeon with pine nuts and radicchio.

Varietal: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; 10% Petit Verdot.