Sassotondo Numero Sei 2023

Carla Benini and Edoardo Ventimiglia run Sassotondo from a 72-hectare estate in the Tuscan Maremma, in the hilly inland zone between Sorano and Pitigliano. This corner of southern Tuscany is defined by its tuff, a soft volcanic rock that gives the wines a distinctive savoury, mineral quality. Numero Sei is a skin-contact blend of Greco and Sauvignon Blanc, fermented on its skins and aged for twelve months in used French oak. The choice of old rather than new barrels is deliberate: it allows slow oxygen exchange and texture to build without adding obvious wood flavour, letting the fruit and the maceration character lead. The year on skins and in barrel draws phenolics and tannin from the grapes, producing the amber colour, grip and oxidative complexity that mark a structured orange wine. Farming is organic with native-yeast fermentation. The wine shows a deep amber colour and a savoury nose of apricot, orange peel and walnut over honey and beeswax. The palate is dry and textured, with stone fruit, dried herbs and a firm, slightly bitter, tannic finish. Serve at around 14 degrees in a wide glass. It suits roast pork, chicken and mushroom dishes.