Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG

Neil and Maria Empson created this label to pay tribute to all things Tuscan, honoring the extraordinary region even in its name, which means Tuscan boy in the local dialect. Franco Bernabei styles the wine, along with Neil, using grapes from the finest vineyards in the region. The soil and microclimates are intriguingly diverse – from compact, very fine-textured limestone at approx. 400-450 meters (1,310 to 1,480 feet) above sea level, to rocky, calcareous clay areas with similar altitudes; and even clayey/siliceous/ calcareous soil at 250-300 meters (820-984 feet) above sea level. Neil is thus able to handpick the best selections according to harvest conditions in the individual vineyards, maintaining consistent quality with each vintage.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one of Italy’s most ancient varieties, even mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy (from the early 1300s). Today, the makers of Toscolo have sought to fully highlight the unique characteristics of the variety as well as its terroir. The grapes are grown in hillside vineyards featuring soil dating back to the Pliocene epoch, with sand and shale. The grapes are cryo-macerated before vinification to preserve the stability of Vernaccia’s abundant aromatic components. Aged eight months before release, resulting in a lovely and intense, fresh and fragrant wine.