Vin Santo is a tradition closely guarded by Tuscan winemakers and probably the most advanced and trickiest to produce. Vin Santo means "Holy wine" and is made in the "passito" style which means dry bunches of grapes are hung from rafters according to their shape. The ones easily hanged (“scelti”), are picked to then be put in the “vinsantaia”, a drying room located under the roof, where cold and warm temperatures concentrate the grapes during the autumn season. The grapes are pressed in January and the juice is drained in little “botticelle” of oak and chestnut wood where fermentation and aging will occur for up to 6 years according to the vintage characteristics. Once barrel aging is complete, the Vin Santo is bottled and aged at least another 8 months. Terre del Vicariato is the collaboration of local Tuscan winemakers Mirko Dagoli and our special friends at a small viticultural firm in Tuscany called Le Uve. Le Uve is the brainchild of Filippo Artini and Dario Parenti, two young winemakers who are passionate about ampelography and the winemaking traditions of the region. Filippo and Dario work directly with Mirko, coordinating all levels of viticulture and enology in order to bring us this small batch Vin Santo. Palateur and Le Uve are excited about the future of this Vin Santo and continue to study how it can excel from vintage to vintage.