Climate

Climate

Winter 2019 was frigid especially during the months of January and February when temperatures dropped significantly resulting in heavy snowfall at the end of January. Spring brought several periods of intense rainfall, especially in April and May, that abundantly replenished groundwater and promoted excellent vegetative growth. Overall summer temperatures were hot as early as June but refreshing scattered rain showers mid-July and in August alleviated stress and ensured a normal and well-balanced growth cycle. Occasional rainfall in September kept temperatures on the cool side, perfect conditions for a steady, gradually ripen phase of Riesling berries for Mezzo Braccio grown in the Fonti vineyard.   Grapes were hand harvested the last week of September in those parcels where vine growth was vigorous preserving acidity and mineral characteristics and was completed at the beginning of October in areas located at a higher altitude with riper fruit with greater aromatic concentration.    

Vinification

Grapes were destemmed and gently pressed to extract the juice as delicately as possible. Alcoholic fermentation was performed separately for each individual vineyard block in stainless steel vats at temperatures that did not exceed 16 °C (60.8 °F). The wine was then left to age on the lees and was kept at a controlled temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) up until bottling that took place mid-June 2020. Mezzo Braccio aged in the bottle for an additional period of 18 months.  

Historical Data

The Monteloro estate is situated at the foothills of the Apennine chain at the gates of the city of Florence at an average altitude of 1650 feet (500 meters). It extends over close to 1500 acres (450 hectares), more than 230 of which are planted to vineyards. It is a unique area for the cultivation of Riesling, distinguished as it is by a cool climate during the entire year and mineral-rich soils. It is, in Tuscany, an ideal terroir for the cultivation of aromatic white grape varieties. Monteloro, in the past, was an area once inhabited by aristocratic Florentine families such as those of Beatrice Portinari and Dante Alighieri who passed hot summer months here in their manoir houses. It has been recounted, in fact, that this landscape of woods and narrow white country lanes was the inspiration of Dante’s voyage in the “Divine Comedy”. Homage to this tale is rendered in the creature of fantasy, the body of a triton intertwined with the wings of a dragon which form the “M” of the Monteloro estate’s name. The Mezzo Braccio (“half an arm”) name derives from a centuries-old Florentine unit of measurement once used in rural areas for the small parcels of land divided from the better known Braccio Fiorentino (“Florentine arm”). The wine has been produced ever since the 2007 vintage.

Tasting Notes

Mezzo Braccio is straw yellow in color. Floral aromas on the nose of elderflowers and white flower blossoms combine with notes box hedge and sensations of flint. Its complex bouquet is completed by hints of candied apricots. The full-bodied, soft, and savory palate is sustained by distinctive mineral notes.      

Climate

Winter 2019 was frigid especially during the months of January and February when temperatures dropped significantly resulting in heavy snowfall at the end of January. Spring brought several periods of intense rainfall, especially in April and May, that abundantly replenished groundwater and promoted excellent vegetative growth. Overall summer temperatures were hot as early as June but refreshing scattered rain showers mid-July and in August alleviated stress and ensured a normal and well-balanced growth cycle. Occasional rainfall in September kept temperatures on the cool side, perfect conditions for a steady, gradually ripen phase of Riesling berries for Mezzo Braccio grown in the Fonti vineyard.   Grapes were hand harvested the last week of September in those parcels where vine growth was vigorous preserving acidity and mineral characteristics and was completed at the beginning of October in areas located at a higher altitude with riper fruit with greater aromatic concentration.    

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