ZI295-Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2021 Toscana

$165/btl  /  6 bottles $145/btl

Tua Rita Winery was founded in 1984 by husband and wife team Rita and Virglilio. Located in the village of Notri, in the Maremma region of Tuscany's coastal region, Tuscany initially boasted only two hectares of vineyards. Its exceptional quality and minimal yields earned it a reputation as a renowned winery in Italy.

In 1994, the first small-scale barrel production of Redigaffi, made from 100% Merlot, launched the winery's star status. The 2000 vintage became the first Italian wine ever to receive a 100-point rating from Robert Parker and was named one of Wine Lister's Top 25 Toscana labels. Hiring Italy's top oenologists, Riccardo Cotarella, Luca d'Attoma, and Stefano Chioccioli, the vineyards expanded to 9 hectares, then 20 hectares, within about a decade. In 2010, their daughter, Simena, took over management, and the vineyards have since expanded to 30 hectares, with production increasing significantly.

For winemaking, Torretta Winery has tapped some of Italy's best oenological consultants: Riccardo Cotarella, Luca d'Attoma, and Stefano Chioccioli. The winery uses only perfectly ripe grapes, and after fermentation, it ages in barrel for 16 to 18 months, unfiltered before bottling.

The soil in the Tullita vineyards is a medium-textured clay soil rich in trace elements such as iron and zinc, which imparts a "local minerality" to the wines. The grape varieties planted include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese. The average vine age is 12 years, and the planting density is 8,000 vines per hectare.