Vigna San Francesco Chardonnay Tasca Conti d'Almerita

The San Francesco vineyard was planted in 1985 by Lucio Tasca, in the lower portion of the slope, on a more fertile soil than the Regaleali average due to a deeper active layer and greater freshness, due to a lower drainage of the rain water.
The clonal material comes in part from Burgundy. The parcel covers about 5 hectares, with a planting spacing of 2.60 meters by 1.20 meters (3,200 plants per hectare), at an altitude between 520 and 532 meters. The substrate of origin consists of clayey-sandy sediments, the texture is clayey, slightly calcareous, with a slightly alkaline reaction (pH 8.1). It is a very thick, well structured soil, but the roots do not exceed 70 centimeters in depth.
The soil has a normal content of organic matter and is rich in mineral salts, magnesium and potassium in particular, with a good quality of phosphorus. The vines are espalier, with double Guyot training system.
The fermentation of the grapes is carried out in 350 liter French oak barrels, with daily batonnage for the first 10-15 days, then weekly for the remaining 8 months of aging. Chardonnay is a very early variety and Regaleali usually reaches its ripeness between the end of August and the first days of September, with little variation from vintage to vintage. In 1985 Lucio Tasca d'Almerita decided to deal with the most celebrated white grape in the world. After an initial experimentation with rooted cuttings also arrived from Burgundy, he planted 5 hectares of Chardonnay in the lower part of the San Francesco hill, at about 500 meters above sea level, with rich soils originating from fluvial sediments suitable for white structured grapes. Able to combine the most savory and fresh part with a good balance.