The discovery of the Tuscan natives continues

Here we are at the second episode dedicated to 3 autochthonous Tuscan varieties that I was able to learn about and learn about thanks to the wines of the Mannucci Droandi company. Last time I introduced the Barsaglina , while today the protagonist is the Pugnitello grape.

Not much is known about the origin of this vine, although it was found in the province of Grosseto. We are faced with a very curious vine, a bit tiring to manage but with great potential. Vigorous but scarcely productive, subject to the development of numerous “females”, sensitive to fungal diseases, slow to mature. Finally, its production is quite limited . Yet despite all these “cons”, from Pugnitello you can get excellent quality grapes and also as many wines of interesting thickness.

Pugnitello: description and tasting

Especially when compared to the Barsaglina I tasted the last episode, I would say that the difference is obvious. From a more “homemade” and everyday wine, pleasant and ready to drink, we move to a wine with a little more complexity. Blindly, I admit that bringing it to the nose I would almost have mistaken it for a Sangiovese. The floral impact that I have in mind of this vine, I found it in fact immediate also in the Pugnitello. Obviously we do not confuse the two things, but I found it interesting to identify a beautiful richness of this wine already on the nose. In fact, notes of graphite and a minerality have been added to the intense floral, which I found pleasantly even in the mouth. Structured and balanced, it has a fairly firm but not aggressive tannin, and a nice acidity and persistence. So overall I found what I had anticipated some information I shared with you at the beginning. It is a vine that is perhaps “difficult”, but with a good qualitative potential that we certainly find in Mannucci Droandi.

I feel I do not exclude it as an alternative to a young Sangiovese when we want to combine it with excellent grilled meat! While compared to the potential longevity, in my opinion it is a wine that in some time could still give some nice surprises. A little gem worth investing in? I definitely recommend you to try it at least once, maybe putting aside a couple of bottles to be opened at a distance to see how they evolve!

We still have a bet on friends, with which grape variety will we end in beauty ?? 🙂

Until next time!