Podere Anima Mundi, "Gavagai" 2019

Producer Profile: On the outskirts of a coastal city made famous for its infamously leaning tower, an estate called ‘Anima Mundi’ crafts wines that follow the task levied by its name, that is, wines which bespeak an interconnectedness and a broad, generous picture of a particular vineyard’s harmony. “Anima Mundi” is the idea of an intrinsic connection between all living things on the planet, often compared to the same idea of the relation between soul and body. For Podere Anima Mundi, this is at the heart of their endeavors: to facilitate the transparency of all the living things that make up their own vineyard into your glass and thereby your gut, into you, this other living thing. It may seem a bit heady or over the top at first, but then you learn about the vigneronne behind the project: Marta Sierota. Originally from Poland and France, Marta earned a PhD in Philosophy before moving to the Tuscan countryside and deciding to take up a life of viticultural implementation of the philosophic impulse. Practicing biodynamic in accordance with the lunar cycles, Marta produces exclusively monovarietal bottlings to best demonstrate the terroir of the Pisan hillsides, where salty Tyrrhenan Sea air will often bathe the Tuscan vines in maritime influence. These are rare delights not only for their utter deliciousness and mix of freshness with depth, but for the fact that it is quite unusual (especially in this area) to see monovarietal bottlings of typical Tuscan blending grapes such as this one in your share, which is 100% Canaiolo.

Vinification: 100% Canaiolo from vines grown on sandy-loamy soil. Grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with wild yeasts in cement without temperature control. Bottled unfined, unfiltered with a touch of SO2 at bottling. 

Tasting: A light, earthy red from a grape that rarely gets a monovarietal bottling. As winemaker Marta Sierota says, "Canaiolo for me is a bit lost in translation, difficult to do [and] always used as a minor grape to accompany Sangiovese. Few do it alone, and yet this is my favorite wine right now." Red currant, elderberry and pleasantly-bitter botanicals, with a savory finish. Drink with a slight chill.