Wine of The Month: "Potente"

Veronica Casella, our sommelier, graduated from the international academy of food and wine and sommeliers (AIES), takes us this month to discover one of the wines that have stood out for the longest time among those presented by Tenute d’Italia.

From the Santerno Wines line, the Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicone I.G.P. “Potente”, meaning "powerful", is in fact one of the real pillars of the Tenute d’Italia catalogue, which year after year, or rather, vintage after vintage, has consistently been able to  confirm its success, receiving excellent reviews both on the Italian market and abroad.

Reviewing the latest results received for our wines in the context of competitions and sector guides, I noticed with great pleasure that one name above all was constantly repeated among all the best evaluations: I’m talking about ‘Potente’, Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicone I.G.P. of the Santerno Wines line, which in recent months has been able to collect more than one important token of success.

Awarding it 95 points in his ‘Yearbook of the Best Italian wines 2021’, Luca Maroni recognized in this wine “viticultural and oenological qualities of rare tenor” which give it “a combination of fantastic density, harmonious softness and limpid, spicy, even grandiose clarity”.  In addition to this, Potente distinguished itself at the last ‘AWC Vienna – International Wine Challenge’ by winning a brilliant silver medal.

When I was updating the academy awards in the technical data sheet for this label I was even more gratified to note the many awards to which these latter were added.

Potente is without doubt proving to be a winner, able to win over the national and international public with solid consistency, which, without doubt, ranks it among the top wines produced since the founding of Tenute d’italia.

The key to this success must certainly be attributed to the complex research work that led to its creation, inspired by the most ancient winemaking traditions of Romagna but with an eye to the international scene.

A factor binding Potente to the land of its birth is without doubt its blend: if the Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Santerno Valley contributes 85% to the blend, the remaining 15% consists of the very rare Uva del Tundé, an indigenous variety with simply unique characteristics recently rediscovered in Romagna. The wealth of its offering is evident from our first glance at the glass: the dense ruby red, typical of Cabernet Sauvignon, turns in our glass to an intensely purple, voluptuous hue which builds anticipation for the full, fresh taste the interplay between juicy fruity notes and appetizing spices.

During the development of production procedures, the team of Tenute d’ Italia oenologists  leading the Potente project decided on a variety solutions aimed at enriching the body of this Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicone I.G.P. making it simply unique.

As well as deciding on a slightly later harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Potente is subjected to a further notable refinement in tonneaux resulting in a highly aromatic profile of the wine, both on the nose and on the palate. 

But if we find the complexity and delicacy of an almost chewable wine in our glass, we are, at the same time able to appreciate the sensational freshness of Potente.

These characteristics, together with the bold tannin, support the framework of a perfectly balanced, persuasively convincing product - be it at the table or as a contemplative wine.