Biography
The I Balzini estate was created as an expression of the love for wine of Vincenzo and Antonella D’Isanto, professionals in their daily life, producers of wine for passion conviction. Their wine is produced with every loving care and attention. This is the spirit with which Vincenzo D’Isanto, a CPA and sommelier, has based his adventure with Antonella in the world of wine. It was his passion for red wine which led him, in 1977, to purchase 10 acres of land in Barberino Val d’Elsa in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, on the border between the provinces of Florence and Siena. In 1980 the first vineyard was planted; working with oenologist Giulio Gambelli, he produced an IGT red wine, I Balzini, wich takes its name from the terraced terrain, “balze” in Italian, on which the vines are planted. The first vintage was in 1987. The couple aims for high quality wine, and to accomplish this dedicate much care to the cultivation of the vines. Among the grape varieties utilized are Cabernet and Merlot, planted on sedimentary soils of Pliocene origin, yellow loamy sands mixed with pockets of clay and with a notable presence of marine fossils. The Sangiovese vineyards, instead, are on Eocene soils, created by the erosion of the local hard limestone rock. Among the offerings, the I BALZINI White Label, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, is an intense, deep ruby red with complex and elegant aromas of very ripe red berry fruit along with spicy oak notes form the barrels in which the wine ages. Soft and balanced, it is long on the palate, characterful and with a territorial personality modified by the innovative presence of Cabernet Sauvignon. The I BALZINI Black Label, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, is very full with a concentrated ruby red color, dense and with purple notes. The nose is complex with nuances of violets and iris along with notes of berry fruit, vanilla, coffee, dark chocolate, and leather. A firm and potent wine, it is warm on the palate, austere, and suave. Both wines are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and aged in small barrels of medium-toasted French oak. After bottling, the wine ages for an additional year before release.
The third wine is the I BALZINI Green Label, 80% Sangiovese and 20% Mammolo, fresh and fragrant.