Vin Santo in all but name, this gorgeous Tuscan nectar is crafted from late-harvest Trebbiano (80%) and Malvasia (20%), and made exactly in the same fashion as a Vin Santo. However, as the wine does not reach the minimum 13% alcohol necessary to use the Vin Santo DOC (it's a much more palatable 11%), it is instead labeled as a Vino da Tavola. The rules are the rules.

Made from grapes that have been dried, the must was then racked into caratelli (the small barrels particular to the crafting of Vin Santo) where it was fermented and aged for approximately eleven years! Goldschmidt does not use a 'madre' (a starter culture of yeast lees), so the fermentation is unaided, and the wine is not racked out of barrel during fermentation and ageing.

The 2002 was bottled in March 2014. The wine leaps out the glass with potent aromas of pastry cream, fresh fig and maple syrup offset by a savoury base note of iodine. Although highly concentrated, it's extremely well balanced, velvety and smooth with the sweetness tempered by lively freshness. The finish is long with notes of almond and fudge. Makes a divine foil for Corzano's own Pecorino (served with fresh pear). Obviously very limited.