The Long Booklet

Empson USA
Cignale
Tuscany, Italy
“CIGNALE” COLLE DELLA TOSCANA CENTRALE IGT: 90%
Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. Fermentation
takes approximately 21 days with full malolactic and the
wine is racked six times over the first 12 months. New
and 2nd year French barriques are employed, and the
wine ages 20 to 24 months. Finally the wine is clarified
with egg whites and left unfiltered before bottle aging
for six months. Deep, dark ruby in color; spicy bouquet
of cedar wood, black cherry, wild strawberry, black
currant, and subtle notes of well integrated new oak. On
the palate, rich, harmonious, concentrated, powerful
and intense, beautifully structured.
Like all stories set in the world of fine wine, the tale of Cignale began long
before production began. Nearly a decade earlier in 1980 Neil and Maria
Empson decided they would craft their own Super Tuscan.
Vineyard location was their first concern: the Empsons have always believed
great soil and microclimate are the prerequisites of great wines. Another
keen preoccupation was finding a partner they could trust and work closely
with. Their choice was an incredible wine producer and friend, Alessandro
“Sandro” François and his wife, Antonietta. The François’ owned a historic
estate in the northeastern portion of Chianti Classico, near Greve in Chianti
– one of the region’s finest sites.
The property was superb: elevated hillsides rising 1,320 to 1,740 feet
above sea level, with a unique geological composition; Cretaceous-Eocene
polychrome schists, rich in manganese and alkaline-earth metals.
The four friends entered into a joint venture agreement and in February
1981, they planted 5 acres with new, low- yielding clones of Cabernet
Sauvignon from Bordeaux, and 1.25 acres of Merlot. Another 1.25 acres
were planted with Cabernet Sauvignon grafted onto 20-year- old Sangiovese
vines to give extra depth to the new wine.
One of the first, experimental harvests met misfortune when the entire crop
was wiped out by wild boars. The silver lining was, the Empsons now had a
name for their wine: Cignale, old Tuscan dialect for cinghiale or wild boar.
Cignale’s first vintage was released in 1990, with the 1986 vintage. The wine
had spent two years in 75% new barriques and 25% used ones; in February
1989, Neil made the final component blend with a small percentage of
Sangiovese Grosso, then left the wine in stainless steel until bottling in July
1989, unfiltered. His artist wife, Maria Gemma Empson, designed the labels,
which feature a series of six pen and ink drawings depicting Cignale’s first,
bristly fans.
VINTAGE SCORE
PUBLICATION
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2012
93
James Suckling
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2011
95
James Suckling
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2010
93
James Suckling
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2009
90
Wine Advocate
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2008
89
Wine Advocate
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2007
95
James Suckling
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2007
94
Wine Advocate
Cignale Colle Della Toscana
Centrale IGT
2006
92
Wine Spectator
The History of Cignale
WINE
719 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
ph: 703.684.0900
fx: 703.684.2065
www.empsonusa.com
Empson USA
The Art of Fine Wine
©2016 Empson (U.S.A.) Inc., Cignale is solely imported by Empson USA, Alexandria, VA