Poggio Vipere Toscana Rosso 2015

Castello di Meleto stands out for its iconic 13th century castle. Yet despite all that history, this supple red is a modern rule breaker. Winemakers at the estate Matteo Menicacci and Emiliano Falsini took classic Sangiovese and added barrel aged Merlot to produce a ripe style with lots of plump fruit. That is against Tuscan rules, however, so the wine has to be labelled Toscana IGT. We've never let that worry us, it's the flavour in the bottle that counts. Not only that, it's from 2015, the conditions of which produced lovely ripeness. And the name Poggio Vipere? There's a local Tuscan legend that, centuries back, women from the area were able to shape-shift into venomous vipers. Useful! Tasty with rich, tomato pasta dishes or lamb.