The Coltassala vineyard shares its location and name with a villa. The first Super-Tuscans were created in the 1970s by Chianti Classico producers who rejected government mandates that determined which grapes were required to go into their wine, especially with grapes like Trebbiano and Malvasia. The Super-Tuscans were also treated differently from Chianti, aged in small French barriques rather than large Slavonian oak casks. Because the Super-Tuscans did not follow the DOC regulations, the Super-Tuscans were entitled only to the lowest official designation of the time—Vino da tavola. It wasn’t until 1994 that government recognized the high quality of Super-Tuscans and gave the wine it’s own category—IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). Volpaia first released Coltassala in 1980 as a Super-Tuscan. The Chianti Classico appellation followed suit, closing the quality gap between Chianti Classico and SuperTuscans. Now Coltassala is a Chianti Classico Riserva Cru even though it’s the same SuperTuscan wine of 1980.

March was warm but the following months April and May were very cold and rainy. Good weather started from June 10th and the end of the month and beginning of July were very warm and dry. Intense warm from mid-July to end of August, interspersed with some rain that were able to guarantee the right humidity to the soil. In September and mid-October the weather was good but always with some scattered rain. Blooming was delayed of 10 days as well as flowering. In June vines started a sudden and vigorous development. Veraison began with some delay and continued fairly slow. Harvest started a few days later compared to the previous years.

The Coltassala has a vivid ruby color. This is a well-structured, complex wine with an elegant nose and hints of vanilla, cacao and fruit.