Siena (Italy) Winery Tour and Tasting

In the latter part of this past March, I made a long-awaited, long-postponed return to Italy after an 18 year absence. Given that I teach Italian, and have for many years, it was way past time to get a booster shot of Italian food, culture and language.  Indeed, in the last few years, it seems everyone I knew was making a trip to the Boot, many for the first time, so I was very excited for them and looking forward to when I would finally make my return.  I was slightly trepidatious given how much things have changed in the intervening years, particularly as it relates to technology and tourism.  As it turns out, in a lot of ways, the advances in technology and the Internet make it a lot easier to plan and book ahead.  In fact, I pre-booked all my train travel, all my BnBs and Airbnbs and all my tours, including the winery tour that I report on in this blog post.

Since I wasn't renting a car this time around, I was rather restricted in places I could reasonably travel to given that most wineries open for visits are not easily accessible, if at all, by train or bus.  In the tours that popped up on my screen after booking my stay in Siena, one particular winery appeared to be well within my transportation options.  Indeed, I ended up walking to the cantina as it was located only about 2 miles from the town center of Siena, and the weather had turned quite sunny and pleasant after a few days of unseasonably cold, windy and rainy conditions.

Located so close to the town, one would not have expected to enjoy such lovely, picturesque landscapes, and vineyards. The Azienda Agricola "La Lastra"  lalastra.it is quite small in terms of hectares under vine and total production and as such, it is not surprising that the quality of wines is quite high, even at very reasonable price points.

As soon as I sauntered into the gravel courtyard, I was greeted by a couple of young women (in fact, a mother and daughter) who, along with a gaggle of four or five other American co-eds plus one other mother, were already well on their way in enjoying the libations produced on site.  They were not, in fact, doing the tour, but just came to savor the wine, and take in the beauty of the surrounding countryside.  We enjoyed getting to know each other and telling travel stories as I waited for other participants in the upcoming tour.

Our guide and host, Lorenzo, was a young, tall and good-looking fellow with curly, tousled hair and an easy-going nature about him, which belied the depth of his knowledge of the grape-growing and vinification processes, let alone the wine business at large and tasting expertise.  In fact, he had grown up working in the winery as a young boy before studying enology at the local university and subsequently spending a year in Napa to further his wine education and hands-on experience.  (I'd introduced myself before the tour began, and chatted with him in Italian, though the tour would be in English as everyone else in the tour group were Americans.  His English was perfectly fluent.)

Lorenzo began our formal visit with a stroll over to the vineyards where he proceeded to give an extended explanation of the efforts and challenges involved in planting, maintaining and harvesting the vineyards as we took in the stunning views of the rolling hills replete with several different varietals and dotted with small olive groves.  (The intricacies of wine cultivation and production were perhaps more than the average consumer really cares to know about, but I, as a self-confessed wine nerd, certainly appreciated hearing him expound at length on such details.)

Sangiovese, the main varietal used in their Colli Senesi Chianti, constitutes the lion's share of the plantings, but Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Trebbiano, among a few other varietals are also grown and vinified.  (We were soon to be treated to a tasting of many of these varietals, either in a blend or as a single varietal.)

Next on the itinerary was a brief visit to the barrel room where Lorenzo explained the production processes and facilities and how it all comes together to create high quality wines to be appreciated by the discerning consumer.

All these educational and informative precursory exposés naturally led, of course, to the part of the tour everyone most looked forward to - the actually tasting and appreciation of the wines accompanied by a light meal of local specialties.

We started the tasting with the Vernaccia di San Gimagnano, a delightfully crisp, fruity and refreshing white which is pretty much synonymous with the picturesque medieval town just north of Siena. (La Lastra originally established their winery with 7 hectares of vineyards in the SG district to produce this wine, and later acquired 23 hectares just outside Siena to expand their production into a full portfolio of regional red wines.)  Fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks, the Vernaccia features a complex bouquet of floral, citrus, tropical and mineral notes with a zippy mouth feel and lively acidity to whet the appetite and pair well with antipasto, fish and white meat or on its own as an aperitif.

Moving onto the reds, next in our tasting was the Rovaio, an IGT Toscano Rosso (Super Tuscan) blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, approximately 1/3 each, which are fermented and matured separately for 18 months, then blended and bottle aged for 6 months before release.  Exuding aromatic notes of red fruits, raspberry currant and black cherry with spicy notes of green pepper, its harmonious balance of soft tannins, fresh fruit and moderate acidity lends itself to pairing with grilled or game meats and medium and long-aged cheeses.

If I remember correctly, we then tasted the Chianti Colli Senesi, a delightful, quintessential Sangiovese-based red from the hillside vineyards outside Siena,

 but it was the subsequent red - the Cabernet Franc - that stood out for me in terms of its rarity and quality for this particular region. Indeed it took several years of painstaking effort and perseverance before the plants reached maturity and the winemakers were able to produce a wine with toned down tannins and herbaceousness that melded together fruity raspberry, cherry, blackberry notes with good structure, intensity and full-flavored body.  Fermented in small stainless steel tanks and matured in new barriques for 14  months, the wine is then bottle aged for another 6 months before release.  Velvety and elegant with spicy, herbal notes to supplement and enhance the red fruit flavors, this Cab Franc would pair nicely with seasoned meats and aged cheeses or pizza with red sauce and goat cheese.

Lest I forget, I need to make note of the serving of ravioli pasta,  salami, cheese, salad, and heirloom tomatoes which was just the right, light pairing for the wines, and in fact, the delicious buttery, cheesy ravioli was the best pasta dish I tasted on this particular trip to Italy.

To top off our tasting of the red wines, although it was not on the original wine tasting list, Lorenzo was quite gracious in offering the table of guests a sample of La Lastra's most prestigious cuvee, SG Rosso, which is also a Super Tuscan blend whose primary client is actually a Michelin-starred restaurant not far from Siena. Sadly, I did not write down the name of the restaurant, but if I do find it, I will add it to this post.  Nonetheless, I can attest to its high quality, opulent, full-bodied, richly textured profile, replete with dense dark fruit enveloping the palate with structured tannins and long-lasting finish. An exceptional wine indeed!

Last but not least on our tasting journey was La Lastra's Passito, a sweet, dessert wine vinified from equal parts Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca in which the grapes are left to dry for 20 days, concentrating the juice and sugar,  then slowly fermented over 24 days, and finally aged in small steel steel container and barriques for nearly 4 years resulting in a moderately sweet, intense, high alcohol (15%) wine exuding aromas of apricot jam, peach, and vanilla. Soft, sweet, and persistent on the palate, it pairs superbly with soft, spicy cheeses, goose liver pate and ricotta or cream pastries. (I can't remember precisely the pastry we were served with the Passito, but I do recall it was a perfect match!)

In somma, if ever you find yourself in Siena, do yourself a favor and take a little detour outside the Centro Storico and treat yourself to a delightful wine and food tasting that will no doubt tantalize your senses and leave you with savory memories.  Cincin!