Tenuta Isola nel Giglio, a “gem” of just over a hectare overlooking the sea in the heart of Isola nel Giglio, presents Ansonica from the Scoglio Nero label, a fine white wine that encapsulates history, tradition and the intense and varied island landscape from which it originates.
Brilliant golden yellow in color with slight amber highlights, this premium product expresses all the character of the Mediterranean maquis, with notes reminiscent of helichrysum, chamomile and candied fruit, enriched by a light and elegant woody note.
Tenuta Isola nel Giglio: Wine from the Tuscan Archipelago
Born out of a desire to enhance the fascinating wine sites of Giglio, the ambitious project of Tenuta Isola nel Giglio bears the signature of Philippe Austruy, a French entrepreneur who in 2019, with the help of agronomist Alessandro Fonseca, identified and purchased a small vineyard in the wonderful pearl of the Tuscan archipelago.
Here he founded the wine cellar and began harvesting the first grapes, from which he obtained Ansonica wine with the Scoglio Nero label, a toponym that pays homage to the rocky conformation of the territory.
“The oenological objective has been to seek the maximum qualitative expression of this particular grape variety, analyzing every aspect of cultivation and winemaking to reproduce in a modern key that elegant nectar that had already bewitched ancient peoples,” explains Alessandro Fonseca, now director of the estate.
Indeed, the oenological history of Giglio Island has roots dating back thousands of years. Various archaeological finds-including wrecks containing amphorae and other material used to transport wine and the remains of wine-making tanks dug directly into the granite-as well as numerous terraces, confirm the islanders’ attention to wine as far back as Etruscan-Roman times. A legacy of the past that today is slowly being recovered and enhanced thanks to 10 producers with 20 hectares of land distributed in various parts of the island.
It is in this context that Tenuta Isola nel Giglio fits in, developed on plots bordered by granite stone walls that are still being restored. The vines are bush-trained, concentrating in a few berries per plant all the aromatic potential and solar energy of this marine terroir, while the sands of granite origin guarantee the perfect vegetative-productive balance for the production of grapes with a high oenological potential. The Ansonica grape variety finds here a unique qualitative adaptation, marked by important vigor and marked drought resistance.
“Our intention is to respect tradition and place of origin, bringing forth from the very first sip that explosion of scents that pervades our vineyard during the season, from the blooms of Mediterranean scrub to the saline and iodine sensation, typical of the sea breeze that blows on those slopes. – explains Fonseca, who together with the two young and talented winemakers Cosimo Casini and Maria Sole Zoli has strived to maintain the characteristics of elegance and refinement of the original processes – The fruit of the team’s research and dedication is a wine in which the tactile sensation of granite, due to the marked minerality, and the softness of the tannin coexist harmoniously, to immediately transport the drinker to the Tuscan land.”