Fantini Calalenta Merlot Rosato

Fantini Calalenta Merlot Rosato has fresh and flinty aromas of strawberry, freshly cut watermelon and rose petals on the nose. The palate displays the same fruity connotations in perfect balance with a refreshing acidity and crisp minerality. Elegant, long and intense finish.

• Brand: Fantini
• Description: Dry Rosé
• Vintages Available: 2021
• Country, Region: Italy, Abruzzo
• Appellation: DOC
• Ratings: James Suckling: 89/100 (2019 Vintage)

About the Producer

The Fantini Group has its head office in Castello Caldora, near Ortona, a coastal town in the Province of Chieti, Abruzzo.

Established in 1994, it soon became the leading wine producer in Abruzzo and Southern Italy, both in terms of volumes (24 million bottles) and quality. From the start the company attracted the attention of the industry’s main experts due to its modern entrepreneurial approach, strict quality standards and quick commercial penetration. 18 talented winemakers, all with international experience, produce high quality wines from six different regions in Central and Southern Italy: Abruzzo, Tuscany, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia and Sicily. The company has achieved worldwide recognition, as testified by the many acknowledgements received from wine critics, wine guides and in major international wine contests.

Farnese was named “Best Italian Producer” in 2016, 2017 and 2019 by a prominent Italian wine guide, Luca Maroni’s “Annuario dei Migliori Vini Italiani”. It was also declared “2017 Producer of the Year” by the important German wine competition “Mundus Vini” and by Belgian journalist Alain Bloeykens. Furthermore, its red wine “Edizione Cinque Autoctoni” – the company’s flagship – has been “Wine of the Year” for 9 years running. In recent years, over 70 gold medals and international trophies have enriched the company awards list, including its inclusion in the “Wine Spectator Top100”. Recently the company – thanks also to the participation of a large international equity fund – has completed the acquisition of a new cellar in Sardinia (“Atzei”) and in Spain (“Finca Fella”).

Grapes

100% Merlot

Vineyard

The production areas are situated Ortona and Pollutri, in Abruzzo. In order to ensure the highest possible aromatic expression, only selected Merlot grapes grown at the foot of the Maiella mountain massif (3,000 metres asl) are used.

Vinification

The grapes are hand-picked at night time (“calalenta”) in order to preserve their full aromas. After picking, the grapes are rapidly pressed and cooled down to -1°C using inert atmosphere generation. The free-run juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks at 10°C for 20 days.

Ageing

Fantini Calalenta Merlot Rosato is kept in stainless steel tanks where it receives a light and short aging on the lees for 30 days, after which it is gently fined, filtered and subsequently bottled.

Tasting Notes

Fantini Calalenta Merlot Rosato is very pale pink, “Provence style” blush colour. Fresh and flinty aromas of strawberry, freshly cut watermelon and rose petals on the nose. These notes are replicated with precision on the palate, in perfect balance with a refreshing acidity and against a backdrop of crisp minerality. Its long and intense finish is the hallmark of a rosé wine of incomparable elegance.

Analysis

13% alcohol vol.

Food Suggestions

Fantini Calalenta Merlot Rosato is outstanding as an aperitif, it pairs perfectly with raw fish, delicate vegetarian dishes, fresh cheeses and Japanese cuisine.

Serving temperature: 10-12°C.

Cellar

Ready to drink now, it will keep well for another 2 years if Fantini Calalenta Merlot Rosato is suitably cellared.