In Jewish texts, Samael is better known as the ‘Angel of Death.’ It is believed that Samael is both good and evil in that he does the work of God but desires man to do evil. Samael is viewed as a seducer as was first spoken of in the Talmud as assuming the role of the serpent and tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden. The correlation here is that Montepulciano can be a very alluring and seductive grape, but sometimes the wine ends up being too thin and simple. Here, the Poggio Anima team is going for a fresh, fruity profile without the presence of oak, for easy yet fanciful drinking. In 2023, the fruit was sourced from two vineyards in Montepulciano, including the certified organic Montedorisio Vineyard.
The grapes were handpicked and pressed to tank for fermentation, which was carried out over seven days on skins with frequent pump overs. A further week on skins post-ferment brought a little more structure. The wine was pressed to barrel to age for six months prior to being blended and racked to stainless steel tanks to settle prior to bottling.