San Felice, Toscana IGT (Tuscany, Italy) Pugnitello 2018

 For some years, I have been following European experimental vineyards planted to preserve forgotten native grapes, usually a collaboration between a winery and a university.  San Felice established such as vineyard with 270 varieties in the 1980s with the University of Florence, and winemaker Leonardo Bellaccini, in a recent Zoom conversation with me, explained how a few years later he selected 30 of them for small-cuvée production.  Pugnitello proved to be the star of that class, and Bellaccini grafted 1,000 vines of it, producing the first three barrels in 1995.  “I liked it for its concentration, richness, good tannins and uniform ripeness,” he said.  Today, it is one of the stars at San Felice, even being lead varietal in its 50th anniversary 2018 icon super Tuscan, Vigorello, as well as producing a varietal bottling.  Other Tuscan wineries are starting to adopt it, and Bellaccini reminds that Pugnitello was approved as a grape for Chianti Classico with the 2003 vintage.  The 2018 Pugnitello has very rich, but not overly ripe, tangy cherry flavors, is very well structured and has the same signature raspy finish as does Sangiovese – in fact, although it is a distinct variety, its flavors and texture remind me of a Sangio blend with either Grenache or Merlot.