Tenuta Ammiraglia 'Alie' Rose - Frescobaldi

2023 marks a true milestone for Alìe: its 10th vintage. The first, released in 2014, was reason enough for celebration, but for the current release, Marchesi Frescobaldi is celebrating its rosé by dedicating to it a poetic piece: the Alìade.

The rosé in question is the icon of Tenuta Ammiraglia, on Tuscany’s Maremma coast, a blend of the international Syrah and the native Vermentino grape.

“Here on the Tenuta Ammiraglia, the vineyards design intriguing geometrical shapes across the hillslopes as they descend to the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The quantity of sunlight is unbelievably abundant, partnering with the sea breezes to create particularly favorable conditions for the production of structured wines with generous aromatics. Today, we regard with great pride the decision we made to produce these two rosés, Cru Aurea Gran Rosé and Alìe. Celebrating their first ten vintages, we realize how much we have been able to accomplish, yet at the same time this represents a renewed stimulus to continue along this path of pursuing our mission of Cultivating Toscana Diversity.”

In sum, Alìe is the perfect example of how listening to the complex qualities of an exceptional terroir—partnered with innovation and long-time expertise in winegrowing—can lead to the accomplishment of great objectives.

The secret of Alìe’s distinctive personality and subtle pink hue that continues to intrigue is precisely its proximity to the sea, just 15 kilometres from the vineyard. The maritime influence from the sea allows the Syrah at Tenuta Ammiraglia to ripen evenly and gradually, and this encourages optimal pigment extraction from the skins. In addition, the Vermentino stabilises the anthocyanins of the Syrah, enabling them to retain their effects over time.

ALÌE 2023

Alìe 2023 appears a distinctive, subtle pink. The bouquet is markedly complex, offering impressions of citrus, nectarine, and floral scents of peony and dried rose petals, which gradually segue into fragrant herbs, such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, and finally conclude with a slight tang of briny iodide. The aromas on the mid-palate closely mirror those encountered on the nose, complemented by an appealing crispness and pronounced savouriness.

The fresh-picked clusters are brought immediately to the cellar, to ensure that they preserve all their important qualities. One of the key moments in the production of Alìe is the pressing stage. The whole clusters are loaded into the press in an oxygen-free environment, then they are subjected to an extremely gentle, delicate pressing. The resultant musts are painstaking quality-graded, then gravity-settled for clarity for not less than 12 hours. The combination of these steps guarantees the one-of-a-kind character of this rosé. Fermentation of the various lots is at less than 19^oC in stainless steel fermenters. Following several months’ maceration on the fine lees, the rosé is bottle-aged before release.

Ushering in the 2023 growing year was a mild winter bringing abundant rainfall, falling primarily in December and January. Further rainfall in March and April allowed the vines to develop dense, vigorous canopies, ensuring excellent vegetation development. Warm summer temperatures and good groundwater reserves encouraged fine cluster growth, while significant day-night temperature differentials favoured impressive accumulations of aromatic precursors in the berries. Sun-filled days during the harvest period meant that the grapes were picked at peak ripeness. In the end, all these factors translated into structured wines with eloquent aromatic expression.