Wine Advisor
Fattoria Le Pupille, Saffredi 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2016 Saffredi brings full-throttled intensity in a very well-balanced wine. The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%) and Petit Verdot (10%) spends 18 months in mostly new oak. This vintage is compact, firm and precise, with lovely floral aromas on the bouquet in front of blackberry and plum. Long oak toasting gives the wine tasty notes of spice and cinnamon and rounds the bouquet off nicely. The mouthfeel is soft and velvety. This is a complex, integrated and absolutely beautiful wine.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Saffredi is even better from bottle than it was from barrel - and that is saying a lot. A ton, in fact. Soaring in its concentration and scale, the 2016 boasts superb intensity in all of its dimensions. Readers who want to understand how magical the 2016 is will find the answer here. Macerated dark cherry, espresso, mint, lavender and leather add layers of nuance, but it is the wine's inner sweetness and extraordinary balance that stand out most. The 2016 is a pure and total pleasure bomb; that's all there is to it.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
One of the highlights in this range, the 2016 Saffredi is a hugely promising wine marked by a beguiling combination of vertical structure, energy and concentration. Black cherry, lavender, spice, plum, sage and lavender all pulse with remarkable energy. Massive and yet remarkably vivid for such an intense wine, the 2016 is shaping up to be a real jewel of a wine.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
True to a vintage that will be remembered for excellent quality across Tuscany, the Fattoria le Pupille 2016 Saffredi is one of the standout wines in this retrospective. It is a very strong protagonist among these younger vintages. The wine remains full of life and energy, and there is an especially zesty note that recalls climbing vines or crunchy snow peas with contrasting elements of greenness and sweetness. If 2018 is remembered for ripeness and brandied cherry, and 2017 shows aromas of toasted espresso bean, this 2016 vintage leans into dried flower, peat moss and pastis. Oak is used generously, but not in an overblown manner, to give the wine important structural power and aging runway. The finish is linear and tight.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Saffredi is even better from bottle than it was from barrel - and that is saying a lot. A ton, in fact. Soaring in its concentration and scale, the 2016 boasts superb intensity in all of its dimensions. Readers who want to understand how magical the 2016 is will find the answer here. Macerated dark cherry, espresso, mint, lavender and leather add layers of nuance, but it is the wine's inner sweetness and extraordinary balance that stand out most. The 2016 is a pure and total pleasure bomb; that's all there is to it.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A very balanced yet structured red with a medium to full body, integrated tannins and a rich yet juicy finish. Exciting. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Incredible aromas of dark berries, lavender, rosemary, licorice and dried flowers. Spice. Full body and fantastic tannin texture with great length. Goes on for minutes. Muscular yet wonderfully formed and refined. A glorious Saffredi. Drink in 2022.
About the Producer
Fattoria Le Pupille is a leading wine estate in the Maremma region of coastal Tuscany. It is best known for Saffredi, a Toscana IGT blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot that has been described as the Lafite of Tuscany. Owner Elisabetta Geppetti is known as the Lady of Morellino and the Ambassador of Maremma. In 1992 she became head of the Consorzio for Morellino di Scansano - the region's association of grape growers and wine producers. She was the first woman to gain that position in any Italian wine region. The estate has 75 hectares (185 acres) of vineyards in total, the core of which are located around the village of Peretta. These vineyard holdings include the 25ha (62 acres) of the original Pupille vineyard and the 5-ha (12-acre) plot responsible for Saffredi. There is also a 20-ha (50-acre) plot near Magliano, and the winery itself is located near Grosseto. This is a modern facility located within the traditionally-styled building that features on the label. As well as Saffredi, Le Pupille makes three Sangiovese-based Morellino di Scansano cuvées. These are a "normale", a Riserva, and the Poggio Valente Riserva, which is aged for 15 months in a mix of small and large barrels. There is also a IGT Maremma Toscana Rosso, named Pelofino, which is a blend of Sangiovese and Syrah with a small amount of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. 2015 saw the first release of Le Pupille, a 100 percent Syrah aged for 12 months in 300-liter French oak barrels. This is priced above the flagship Saffredi. The estate also makes a Rosamatti rosato and a Poggio Argentato white based on Sauvignon Blanc with Petit Manseng, Traminer and Semillon. Piemme is a recently introduced single variety deluxe white wine from Petit Manseng . The lineup is completed by SolAlto, a botrytized white wine made from Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. In total around 500,000 bottles are produced each year.
