Podere Forte, Orcia, Petruccino 2020 - 75cl

Petruccino is the most approachable red from Podere Forte, a biodynamic estate that Pasquale Forte built from scratch in the Val d'Orcia in 1997 — 500 hectares of Tuscan hillside, of which only around sixteen are vines. It is 100% Sangiovese from the Rocca d'Orcia corner of the Orcia DOC, a quiet appellation south of Montalcino that rarely gets the attention it deserves.

Everything here is farmed by the Steiner playbook and vinified with a purist's restraint — spontaneous ferment in French oak vats, a couple of weeks on skins, then around 14 months in barrel. The 2020 was a warm, dry year saved by cool nights that held onto the acidity, so the wine stays fresh where it could have turned jammy.

Expect a nose of dried black cherry and crushed rock, with violet and lavender lifting above a savoury, faintly balsamic base. The palate is polished — red plum and sweet spice wrapped around a core of sour-orange acidity, fine tannins, a clean and gently grippy finish. It has the mineral seriousness of the estate without asking you to lay it down for a decade.

A weeknight-into-weekend Sangiovese for people who like their Tuscan reds taut rather than sweet.

How to Serve

Serve at 16-18°C. A 45-minute decant rounds it out nicely. A medium Bordeaux or all-purpose red glass does the job. Drinking well now and over the next few years.

Where to Drink It

The River Cafe in Hammersmith, where Tuscan Sangiovese is the house tongue. Bocca di Lupo near Piccadilly, for regional Italian done properly. Brat, if you want it beside the grill.

Food Pairings

Bistecca or a rare lamb chop suits its acidity and grip. For something lighter, a bowl of pappardelle with a slow ragu.