Winebow Producer Book

Veneto , Italy

Winery Overview In the mid 1990s, Carla Prospero, and her daughter, Nadia Zenato, acquired a large 18th century farm in the Sirmione area called Sansonina. With this purchase they accepted a challenge to disprove some preconceptions. They set about producing exceptional red wine in a zone traditionally known for whites, while demonstrating that well structured red wine isn’t necessarily men’s work. Sansonina, the name given to the impressive 18th century cascina near Sirmione, derives from Samson, the Biblical judge called upon by God to defeat Israel’s enemies with his superhuman strength. The name also belonged to a woman who owned the estate centuries ago, nicknamed “Little Samson” for her strong character. Today, Sansonina maintains this masculine-feminine dualism. The property is located in the zone that produces Lugana, one of the most famous white wines of the Lombard-Veneto region and by definition, a feminine wine. But Sansonina is also the only vineyard in the area to have old Merlot vines, a highly valued grape used to make some of the world’s most important red wines. With a typically feminine combination of determination and sensitivity, Carla and Nadia have succeeded in producing hearty, powerful and elegant wines. Location of Vineyard While the wine of Sansonina is a relatively new project for the Zenato women, the history of the land where Cascina Sansonina lies dates back 20,000 years when glaciers occupied the land from the lower Po Valley to the Alps. When the glaciers melted, the entire land mass was covered by the sea, and ultimately left with deposits of an unusually high fossil content—almost pure limestone—alternating with channels of clay sediment. The Zenato women recognized this mixture of soil as being identical to some of the finest vineyard terroirs around the world for Merlot grapes and used these as the reference standard for their single varietal Sansonina. It is well known by viticulturalists that this soil mix offers the precise mix of water and drainage which is essential to Merlot’s maturation. The real secret of this zone’s success is its ability to produce grapes with a high phenolic concentration (color, tannin, etc.), allowing them to ripen slowly and evenly. These conditions produce complex, elegant and ageworthy Merlots. Winemaking Philosophy Carla and Nadia Zenato are in charge of the vision and the realization of this project and work with the same group of highly talented winemaking professionals from the Zenato winery to craft an elegant, world class wine.