Toscolo
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| Region: |
Tuscany |
| Winery: |
Toscolo |
| Owner: |
Neil & Maria Empson |
| Winemaker: |
Franco Bernabei with Neil Empson |
| Established: |
1990 |
| Location: |
Santa Lucia |
| Province: |
Pisa |
| Website: |
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| News: |
Toscolo's Sicilian love story: Dolce Toscolo.
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Think Tuscan. That's Toscolo, labor of love from Neil & Maria Empson's longtime passion for this extraordinary region. The name itself is a homage to Tuscany: a Renaissance Italian word, it means "Tuscan boy". The Tuscan accent is even stronger on the palate: lush berry fruit, soft, appealing texture, well balanced tannins and a touch of iris and violets, this delightful, delightfully affordable range is the quintessence of Chianti.
The Empsons chose their friend and star oenologist Franco Bernabei to style the wines with Neil himself. Nothing was left to chance in order to make the Empsons' proprietary brand their ideal Tuscan credentials.
Maria Gemma Empson personally designed the ultraclassic, ultrachic packaging.
As some of you may know, Maria is also an artist who went on to the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Tuscany, right after college in the States: there could hardly be a better combination to inspire a distinctively Toscolo label.
Availing itself of state-of-the-art facilities and teamwork, production derives from some of the region's major Chianti terroirs and finest vineyards. Terrain and microclimates are intriguingly diverse: from compact, very fine-textured limestone, at an altitude of 400-450 meters above sea level, to rocky, clayey/calcareous areas, also at altitudes around 400 meters; and clayey/siliceous/calcareous soil, at an altitude of 250-300 meters.
Neil is thus able to 'cherry-pick' the best selections according to harvest conditions in the individual wine zones - this gives him leeway to maintain consistency and the highest quality with each vintage.
Attentive vineyard management, high density of vines per acre and correspondingly low crop yields, achieve maximum quality results from Toscolo's fine locations.
Vinification is traditional, with a well balanced use of wood. The entire range combines fruit and finesse with that essential 'bite' which makes these wines particularly food-friendly and versatile.
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