"Stone of the Fairy" with Tenuta Licinia's Sasso di Fata wines

Earlier this year I attended a virtual tasting hosted by Studio Cru and Tenuta Licinia led by owner and winemaker, James Marshall Lockyer.  Tenuta Licinia sits at about 1,180 feet above sea level and  is located at the foothills of the Apennines on the deep fertile hills bordering the Valdichiana near the town of Lucignano in the Arezzo province.

Lucignano - sourced from Wikipedia

Tenuta Licinia came about in an unplanned manner.  James’s grandfathers had made friends with Italians that were living in Brussels where he resided in the 1960s.  In the 70’s his Italian friends invited him to Tuscany and during his trip was asked if he would be interested in restoring one of their old farms.  His grandfather at that time was a lawyer and was tempted so decided to purchase the 3 hectare parcel of land.  The neighbors had informed him that the land that he purchased used to make good wine.  He was doubtful, but his interest in wine, vineyards and subsoils grew throughout his travels in Italy and he saw similarities in what he was discovering in comparison to the land that he had acquired. 

He decided to replant the land with Cabernet Sauvignon because he was Belgium and French so it what he was brought on, plus he was a fan of Burgundian wines.  The soils he was planting on were a yellow galestro soil, that was a type of chalky slate soil.  This particular soil was known for producing fantastic wines in other areas of southern Tuscany. 

James's grandfather eventually acquired another 1.5 hectares next door.  The environment surrounding these vineyards were encompassed by forests and rather isolated without any nearby neighbors.  It's a wild, green environment with much wildlife to include wolves and wild boars.  Even at one point they had some kangaroos that had escaped a nearby farm James shared with us.

Overview of Tenuta Licinia's estate

For the last 15 years James and his grandfather had worked on reinvigorating forgotten vineyards with specific subsoils.  Their first vintage was produced in 2013.  The entire production was destroyed from a freak hailstorm where fish even flew into the vineyard from a nearby lake so they lost everything but 40 bottles that year.  A tough start!

James took over from his grandfather and replanted the vineyards of Sasso di Fata in 2006.  The vines have been certified organic since they were planted and the winery also follows biodynamics in their vineyards.   The style of wine that Tenuta Licinia aims for is what they describe as a “clos style: strong aromatic definitions and intensity as well as strong vineyard-centric mineral properties”.  Their aim is for less extraction and to keep the fruit fresh showing the aromatics and minerals.  

The Wines

We tasted the following wines with James:

·         2019 Sasso di Fata Toscana Rosso IGT

·         2021 Sasso di Fata Toscana Rosso IGT

Let’s take a further look at them.  

Where does the name Sasso di Fata come from?

The field where Sasso di Fata is located is called Meleto, which is a famous name of a winery in Chianti Classico, Castello di Meleto.  Since they couldn't use that name that was being utilized James called the local village historian to see what information he could dig up to help in naming these wines.  The historian had informed him that in the Middle of the Ages there was a sand stone called Sasso di Fata from the area that vaguely has the face of a fairy in it.  Hence the name Sasso di Fata, which translates to stone of the fairies.

The Sasso di Fata wines were the first cru wines for Tenuta Licinia that took 15 years to make in order for them to find the perfect harmony that they were seeking.  That there is a labor of love! Three things for James that identify the Sasso di Fata wines are the floral aromas of rose, the minerality showing saline and graphite notes, and a velvety finish and texture. 

The 2019 Sasso di Fata Toscana Rosso IGT was the first wine labeled and released to the market.  James made this with his grandfather.  His grandfather made 90% of the wine before he became ill with James finishing off the rest.  This wine was considered their “prototype” that showed elements from the various vineyards and the characteristics they were looking for, but without the maximum expressions of the grapes.  They extracted less since they picked early or as James called it "al dente".

The 2019 Sasso di Fata is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.  A deeper ruby color, this wine has floral aromas of blackberries and cherries with notes of balsamic. A little tight upon opening with some moderate tannins that become more silky on the palate. Black fruits are shown on the palate with a touch of slate. A small production of only 3,000 bottles grown on about 2.5 hectares.

In 2020 James’s grandfather became ill so the next vintage they made was the 2021 Sasso di Fata Toscana Rosso IGT.  James stated that this wine “ is closer to the finished product they are looking for with all the bones” in a harmonious way.  This is considered their flagship wine and comes from about 6-7 acres.  A different blend than the prior, this wine is made up of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot.  James called this an “alternative to the Super Tuscan” wines.  

James expressed that his ideal blend of the Sasso di Fata wines would be 50-55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30-35% Cabernet Franc for the aromatics, with the remaining blend consisting of Merlot.  Unfortunately with the 2021 vintage they lost a lot of their Cabernet Franc grapes.

The 2021 Sasso di Fata was a deep ruby color with highlights of purple.  I loved the floral aromatics on this one as I found it more intense than the 2019 vintage full of juicy blackberries.  Full-bodied with great savory notes on the palate. Firm tannins with a good acid backbone.  

Both wines run about $72-74 SRP.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  Importer: Vera Wines