Vin Santo (‘holy wine’) is a dessert wine that is produced in Tuscany. It is normally made with the white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia but can also have Sangiovese, the red grape used for Chianti. If Sangiovese is used, the grapes are harvested then undergo the appassimento process. In this process, grapes are dried on straw mats or on racks. They can be dried in the sun or in rafters of buildings. This helps concentrate the flavors in the grapes but also retains the acidity. Chianti Vin Santo made with Sangiovese is Occhio di Pernice (eye of the partridge) and is more rare than other styles. After the wines are fermented, they are placed in small wood barrels (50-300L). Traditionally, these barrels are then sealed and left unopened for extended periods in warm lofts. During the aging process, there is evaporation of wine. This creates more space in the barrel and increases the exposure to oxygen. This oxidation results in the wine developing deeper, more amber color (if made of white grapes) and oxidative character of nuts and dried fruit. In more modern winemaking, the barrels can be stored at a more constant temperature in cellars to help retain some fresh fruit quality in the final wine. These wines can vary in sweetness from dry to sweet depending on the style intended by the winemaker. Production of Vin Santo is done in small batches and the wine ages for 5-10 years, resulting in higher prices.
This week, I drank a 2011 Carobbio Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice DOC. I found this bottle tucked in a rack at an Italian deli in Napa and knew I had to try it. This wine is a light tawny color with pink highlights. The pink highlights are due to it being 90% Sangiovese with small amounts of Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia. The bouquet includes roasted slivered almonds, roasted hazelnuts, dried and candied cherries, vanilla, dried cranberries, and honey. Each time I swirled my glass, the combination of aromas reminded me of fruit cake. On the palate, I was immediately struck by the high level of refreshing acidity in this wine that significantly lessens the perceived level of sugar. This full bodied, sweet wine has virtually no tannins but it does have a high level of alcohol for a non-fortified wine (labeled as 15.5% ABV). The front palate starts with dried fruit and nuts then giveaway to honey and baking spices on the mid palate which abruptly drops off the palate on the medium length finish, leaving behind the warming effects from the alcohol. This wine is ready to drink and wouldn’t benefit from further bottle aging. It would be a good aperitif or dessert wine that could be served with blue cheeses and dried fruits, moderately sweet desserts like dark chocolate truffles and lower sugar pies or pastries.
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 