88 points - Wine Spectator
89 points - Wine Advocate
88 points - Steve Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
We were driving with Marchese Ferdinando Frescobaldi out for a visit to his family’s Castello di Pomino in the far reaches of eastern Tuscany. We passed the turn-off for the Castello di Nipozzano, another of the family’s properties along the way, not far from Pomino.
“Why have two estates so close to each other?”
As he maneuvered the car up the steep and twisting roads, he replied, “Because the road may be short, but the distance is great!”
As we ascended the hills, the scenery changed dramatically. Gone were the Tuscan spruce trees and gently rolling hills, and the stucco villas were replaced with stone buildings. Dark forests of fir trees covered the hills, and the soil was rocky and dry.
This small region is unlike any DOC in Tuscany, which is why the Frescobaldi’s refer to it as “The Republic of Pomino”, a rouge appellation rebelling against the norm. From a winegrowing perspective, it’s cold. On one visit in April, 1997, we found ourselves walking in four inches of snow.
Things that grow well in cool climates prosper here, unlike the rest of Tuscany. Pomino means “little apple”, and the orchards are planted among the chestnut trees. On an occasion in December of 2004 at Marchese Ferdinando’s home in Florence, dessert consisted of fresh chestnuts from Pomino dusted in sugar and baked in a wood-burning oven…served with 2005 Pomino Benefizio, it was sublime.
A branch of the family was exiled from Tuscany, and allowed to return from Burgundy in the 1700’s. They brought with them vine cuttings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Recognizing that Pomino would provide the best environment for these grapes, they reclaimed their Castello di Pomino and planted vineyards.
Today, the results of years of trial are available in the white blend Castello di Pomino Benefizio, oak-aged Chardonnay blended with other aromatic white varieties, and Castello di Pomino Rosso, a Pinot Noir and Sangiovese blend. These are rich, textured wines for both contemplation and pleasure. A must try.
