A decade of depth: Long-aged Vernaccia from Panizzi

The passage of time is everywhere in Tuscany. It is plain to see in the medieval towers of the beautiful, hilltop town of San Gimignano. Likewise, you can see it in the Vernaccia vines that have carpeted these undulating hillsides since they were part of the Medicis’ Republic of Florence. And it is right at the heart of the ethos of Panizzi winery – and has been since the beginning.

When Giovanni Panizzi bought a small vineyard just outside the walls of San Gimignano in 1979, he did not rush. Instead, he took many years to perfect the style of his wines, not releasing the first Panizzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano until 10 years later.

One grape, many expressions

It was worth the wait. With a striking, modern label and beguiling flavours of straw, white flowers and salty minerality, the ‘Green Label’, as Panizzi’s youngest and freshest Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG is known, told the world that an ambitious new name had arrived on the scene with this ancient variety.

Vernaccia has been grown in these rolling hills for centuries – and Panizzi’s experience with the variety ensures that it is always able to show its character. Grown organically, these wines are the perfect expression of the sun, breezes and terroir of the Tuscan slopes.

Panizzi’s ‘Green Label’ Vernaccia is unaged – a pure, racy expression of the variety. But the Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva DOCG takes the grape down a different path. Vines grown on a limestone plateau at 400m elevation give fruit of outstanding depth and concentration. This is then fermented in French oak barrels, where it ages for 12 months, before a further seven months on the lees in neutral vessels and two more years in bottle.

A wine of breadth, depth and texture, but still with classic varietal minerality at its core, the Riserva Vernaccia might be four years old upon release, but it is definitely capable of further long-term ageing.

A 10-year wait

Panizzi takes this pursuit of ageability even further with its ‘Ten Years After’ Riserva Storica project. Beginning in 2011, this programme saw Panizzi Riserva Vernaccia di San Gimignano wines left to age in the cellar for a decade before release. The next release will be the 2016 – a wine crafted from expertise, vision and extraordinary patience.

Panizzi is a striking example of a winery that fully understands its region and its variety – and wants to explore both to the fullest extent. With its range of Vernaccia wines – regular winners of medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards – Panizzi embraces the passage of time to create a range of truly great Italian white wines.