Ampeleia Kepos 2019

Made by the quality-driven winemaker, Elisabetta Foradori, who became famous for her work with the Teraldego grape in the Alto Adige, this Tuscan red is made with organic/biodynamic, low sulfite methods. She has come together on Ampeleia with 2 friends, Giovanni Podini and Thomas Widmann, to develop a completely unique project in the Maremma region of Tuscany. They are farming biodynamically, focusing on the synergy between mankind and nature, producing fresh and elegant, silky wines. This red, made of Mediterranean grape varieties— 60% Alicante Nero (aka Grenache), 25% Mourvedre and 15% Carignano— is sourced in the vineyards closest to the sea, in Ampeleia di Sotto, where the Mediterranean scrub dominates the landscape and permeates the air with its fragrances. The parcels are at 200-350 meters above sea level. 

The fruit was harvested from the 10th of September to the 5th of October at yields of 50 hl/ha, destemmed, and fermented together; aged 11 months in cement tanks, followed by 7 months of aging in bottle prior to release. 'Kepos' is Greek and is synonymous with 'garden,' any place where trees and herbs grow.

The estate overlooks the medieval village of Roccatederighi, located on three different levels of altitude varying from 200 to 600 meters above sea level Ampeleia di Sopra (Upper Ampeleia), Ampeleia di Mezzo(Central Ampeleia) and Ampeleia di Sotto (Lower Ampeleia). Ampeleia includes a total of 150 hectares of which only 40 are planted with vines. The property slopes down towards the sea, nestled in a territory made of numerous plots of land, hidden among the lush vegetation, where earlier Etruscan settlers nourished the soil to grow grapes. All vineyards on the estate were planted following an in depth terroir research of each single site. Ampeleia offers a wine with great character and personality, elegance and bright, aromatic fruit.