The Máté winery, an organic family-owned and run estate, nestles on two small hills in the temperate, seaward zone in the prestigious Santa Restituta area, home to Gaja and Case Basse. A Roman vineyard 2,000 years ago, the seven campi of marvellously varied terroir totalling 7 hectares are surrounded by Mediterranean woods, herbs and wild fruit. The vineyards were designed by Fabrizio Moltard, Angelo Gaja’s agronomist, and the clones chosen by France’s Pierre Guillaume.

The grapes: Sangiovese (in fossil-filled tufo), Merlot (in sandy clay), Cabernet Sauvignon (in marl), and Syrah ( mineral-rich southern terraces like Cote Roti) are planted to a high density of 6,200 vines per hectare, (3,000 per acre). The yields are kept extremely low by three annual green prunings to concentrate flavours and profumes.

Selected, hand-picked at fullest maturity and fermented in small temperature-controlled stainless steel vats or new wooden barrels, the grapes are punched down by hand to extract colours and tannins, while the must is kept cool to maintain the rich aromas of fruits and spices. The wines are aged for up to two years and a half in Allier French oak barriques and tonneaux.

In the Máté vineyards and winery, no effort is spared to yield wines of great refinement, replete with unforgettable flavours.