Ilaia di Montemaggio
Our Ilaia di Montemaggio IGT is red Tuscan wine that we can consider as a rare kind of wine. It is, in fact, made from Pugnitello grapes, a not so well known indigenous grape variety that was reintroduced in Tuscany about 20 years ago. The name Pugnitello comes from the form of the small grape bunch that looks just like a fist (pugno in Italian). Valeria, the owner of Montemaggio, took the decision to produce this grape variety when she fell in love with the unique characteristics of this kind of grape and asked Ilaria, the Agronomist and manager, to make a challenging experiment.
Why Buy From Us?
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🍇 Organic -> You are drinking pesticide-free wine
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🍇 Low-sulfite -> Less likely that you’ll get adverse reaction from it
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🍇 Lasting finish/presence -> Your wine will have a much longer lasting finish
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🍇 Intense Cherry Blackberry red colour -> An Intense red ruby colour that shows your wine in its prime and can be enjoyed right now
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🍇 Unique Fresh Taste -> A very unique taste of dark chocolate notes, fresh but deep aromas, notes of leather and dark forest fruits!
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🍇Unique Characteristics -> This is a unique grape variety that produces a very particular and unique wine: berries are very small, positioned very close to each other which gives a very concentrated result.
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🍇 Well-aged -> Softer and smoother taste, softer velvety tannins
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🍇Rich red fruits aromas -> Your wine will have rich, floral and juicy/jammy aromas on your noise and palate with certain spiciness, leather and deep dark forest fruits.
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🍇 "Terroire" wine -> You will drink wine that fully represents its unique and preserved territory
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🍇 Italian -> Enjoy wine that comes from a 2000-year italian wine-making tradition, full of heritage.
We are working with Passion, Care and Respect for health of the planet and everyone who lives on it, trying to nurture what we have and leave a legacy for future generations. We strive to satisfy every single client, by offering an Authentic, Genuine, Natural Products that one can enjoy without worrying about health and damage to nature.
Hello From Our Owner
We are thrilled that you have chosen Montemaggio or just browsing - looking to learn something new about Organic Agriculture and our Hand-Made Wines. Please watch this short video from our owner:
Ilaia di Montemaggio IGT
In fact, this grape results to be very sensitive to diseases and it requires a lot of attention and care. The result, it is something so unique and unexpected. The taste it is authentic and intense is the aroma.
We should mention that this grape variety was forgotten during the 60s/70s and it was rediscovered back again thanks to the Agricultural University of Florence.
In the past grape varieties that were too difficult and that were not producing a huge yield were discarded since the old wine makers were looking more for quantity compared to quality. In the last 20 years situation has changed in Tuscany and more and more estates choose grape varieties for the quality, instead, and to preserve and cherish the rich Tuscan heritage.
What's about the name?
The name “Ilaia” is connected with “Ilaria” that means joy.
Other Details
We grow our Pugnitello in a small plantation of 3 high-density vineyards terraces, here at Fattoria di Montemaggio. We always follow a careful and meticulous work to get the best Pugnitello grapes. The Fermentation takes place at controlled temperature (not higher than 26°C) in stainless steel. After the malolactic, then wine is refined in oak barrel.
The current vintage is 2016, which is for us still a young wine, probably it would benefit largely for a bit of aging in your own cellar if you like a more mature wine, however if you like a younger and fruity wine-this wine would be perfect as it is right now.
See What People are Saying
Katherine Thomas
This wine was recommended to me by a good friend and sommelier. I was disappointed. It arrived beautiful presented in a black box and I knew I was going to try it that evening. It looked too good to resist. After a few hours of chilling in the fridge, I opened the bottle with the glass cork (a first for me) and poured the first glass. The wine looked lovely and light in the glass and I could already tell it was going to be crisp. But nothing prepared me for the incredible flavours, the delicious freshness of honey and butter. Some white wines can be overly tangy but not this one. It was so big in flavour yet delicate at the same time. You can't go wrong with this bottle and it's a bargain at £20. The only disappointment is when you've finished drinking and you doubt have another bottle of this fantastic wine in your house!
Steve
I have rarely enjoyed Chardonnay (probably because it was cheap!). Normally they taste like they have added oak as a flavour using a syringe and some oak juice (or something). I don't normally drink whites, but this was very pleasant indeed - the ladies also commented on how nice it was. Crisp but not too acidic. Smooth but not artificially so. A very nice wine to accompany our fish dish today - and actually very nice to drink on its own. It wasn't sunny (this is the UK) but it would have been even nicer had it been so! Thanks.
Andy Kelly
I wouldn't normally associate Chardonnay with Italy but this is a really stand out wine. Pale golden in the glass with a nose of tropical fruits. It's got a really good mouthfeel and you get honey and cream as it goes down. Let it breathe a little and there's hints of banana too. This really is top wine and it measures up very well against it's more expensive rivals Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet. Delivery was swift and the wine was very well packaged too. I'm definitely going to buy this again!!!!!!
Anne Jane
Bought as a birthday gift in September 2020. My best friend loved it. The glass stopper was a great talking point, so I bought a second bottle as a Christmas gift for someone. Very happy with this and highly recommend.
Katherine Thomas
This wine was recommended to me by a good friend and sommelier. I was disappointed. It arrived beautiful presented in a black box and I knew I was going to try it that evening. It looked too good to resist. After a few hours of chilling in the fridge, I opened the bottle with the glass cork (a first for me) and poured the first glass. The wine looked lovely and light in the glass and I could already tell it was going to be crisp. But nothing prepared me for the incredible flavours, the delicious freshness of honey and butter. Some white wines can be overly tangy but not this one. It was so big in flavour yet delicate at the same time. You can't go wrong with this bottle and it's a bargain at £20. The only disappointment is when you've finished drinking and you doubt have another bottle of this fantastic wine in your house!
Steve
I have rarely enjoyed Chardonnay (probably because it was cheap!). Normally they taste like they have added oak as a flavour using a syringe and some oak juice (or something). I don't normally drink whites, but this was very pleasant indeed - the ladies also commented on how nice it was. Crisp but not too acidic. Smooth but not artificially so. A very nice wine to accompany our fish dish today - and actually very nice to drink on its own. It wasn't sunny (this is the UK) but it would have been even nicer had it been so! Thanks.
Andy Kelly
I wouldn't normally associate Chardonnay with Italy but this is a really stand out wine. Pale golden in the glass with a nose of tropical fruits. It's got a really good mouthfeel and you get honey and cream as it goes down. Let it breathe a little and there's hints of banana too. This really is top wine and it measures up very well against it's more expensive rivals Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet. Delivery was swift and the wine was very well packaged too. I'm definitely going to buy this again!!!!!!
Anne Jane
Bought as a birthday gift in September 2020. My best friend loved it. The glass stopper was a great talking point, so I bought a second bottle as a Christmas gift for someone. Very happy with this and highly recommend.