It’s shameful not to know the person responsible for the wines of the Tuscan estate Poggio di Sotto. There can be just one real excuse: unlike many others Federico prefers to stay under the radar.
As he says of himself “sono agronomo, Fiorentino e libero pensatore”, no need to translate. The name of Staderini is associated with those of the greatest oenologists and consultants Giulio Gambelli and Andre Tschelischeff (with whom they started making Ornellaia in 1985). Today Federico continues to consult such estates like Poggio di Sotto, Castello dei Rampolla, Chianti Castell’in Villa.
Staderini by the barrels of Poggio di SottoThe bottom line is that we are neither tasting Poggio di Sotto nor Ornellaia, but the personal wines of Federico Staderini, more than twenty years in making.
His wines are labeled Cuna and come from the Arezzo estate with vineyards at about 500 meters ASL. Three wines are produced: two Pinot Noir and one is made from a variety that no one knows anything about, called Abrostine. In total, he has less than 5 hectares of vineyards, mostly Pinot Noir.
One interesting twist, though: Staderini’s not just any Pinot Noir, but Pinot Fin (“registered” in 1375) from which as they say Pinot Noir originated. Even in Burgundy only a few producers still grow Pinot Fin, the most notable of which is Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux in Vaughn Roman.
While Pinot Noir in Tuscany is quite rare, there’s even more. Federico, the only one in the world, produces and bottles pure Abrostine. The Etruscan origin doesn’t allow us to speak freely about wines from this variety, but they say that the berries have red skin and red flesh, which is quite a rare sight. At some point Abrostine was close to extinction: there were no clones, no wines. Federico made a massal selection of vines of this variety from the estate of San Felice and planted those at his ex-wife’s estate Podere Santa Felicità (“happy” and “saint” at the same time!) near Arezzo and in 2006 bottled a single-varietal Abrostine naming the wine “Sempremai”. All Federico’s wines are released as Toscana IGT.
Cuna 2018 IGT Toscana Rosso
Fermentation in old oak and cement for 15-24 hours depending on the maturity of the grapes; aging for 20 months in old Burgundian barrels, 12 months in bottle. Gentle, perfumey, thin, peppery, it burns pleasantly in the mouth, cherry, stone fruit.
Brendino 2018 IGT Toscana Rosso
Fermentation in 228 and 500-liter barrels, aging 20 months in 228 liter barrels and 24 months in bottle. Bright fruity. Stonefruit. Lively acidity, open to the world, on the verge of glou-glou. Consume in one big gulp. Cipressi!
Abrostine – that’s what it is
Sempermai Sorte 2016 IGT Toscana Rosso
Complete destemming, maceration in 700-liter conical chestnut vats, fermented with wild yeast for up to 20 days in 228-liter oak barrels (24 months), also 2 years in the bottle before release. Wild, juicy, soft tannin, violet, spices, cypress. Delicate and original.