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 A “china anniversary” for Foglio 38 from historic Bolgheri producer Fornacelle, which has always distinguished itself with its far-sighted, avant-garde approach to production. It was in fact as long ago as the 2004 vintage that the estate decided to bottle separately the vineyard identified as parcel number 236 of Page (“Foglio”) 38 of the Land Register, which had always stood out with its Cabernet Franc grapes of outstanding quality.

The production regulations for Bolgheri at the beginning of the 2000s did not include the possibility of vinifying 100% varietal wines. Everything outside the statutory blend of the newly instituted Bolgheri D.O.C. was identified as I.G.T. Toscana; the Super Tuscans already played a significant role, and Foglio 38 immediately inserted itself as something of a novelty in this category, at a time when there were still only a handful of single-varietal Cabernet Franc wines in Bolgheri. In 2011, it was decided that the terroir had a greater influence than the variety, and that therefore not only the typical Bordeaux-style blends were capable of expressing the unique qualities of this microcosm. Foglio 38 thus became a Bolgheri Superiore. 

 It is a wine that is the brainchild of enologist Fabrizio Moltard and of the owners of the estate Stefano Billi and Silvia Menicagli, initially vinified as part of the blend for the historic Guardaboschi Bolgheri Superiore D.O.C., the winery’s flagship wine, produced in the old vineyard that was already cultivated at the end of the nineteenth century by Stefano Billi’s grandfather, Giulio Batistoni, a sharecropper of the Della Gherardesca Counts. Indeed, the creation of the Fornacelle estate was due to Giulio because, as a result of the agrarian reform that took place, he was given the possibility to purchase some land and begin producing his own wine. 

This is a wine that brings together the stories of the whole family; the label, designed by Silvia’s brother, Franco Menicagli, is a print of his oil painting titled “I campi” (“The fields”). Foglio 38 is part of the “Bolgheri Artistica” collection, together with the Fornacelle I.G.T. Toscana Bianco made from Semillon, and Erminia, the 100% Merlot wine dedicated to the Billis’ daughter, whose label was designed by Fabrizio Breschi.

The “Bolgheri Artistica” line expresses the attention paid by the various members of the family to producing wine, enriched by an experimental thrust in which manual skills in working the land and dealing with the grapes are associated with a creative vein and an artisanal approach. The “Bolgheri Classica” line – the result of meticulous research in discovering the potential of Bolgheri’s terroir and of its typical wines – can be identified by its label showing a heart-shaped tree with clearly visible roots, based on a drawing by their daughter Erminia. This is the image that adorns the Guardaboschi Bolgheri Superiore D.O.C., Zizzolo Bolgheri Rosso D.O.C., and Zizzolo Bolgheri Vermentino D.O.C.. 

The production method for Foglio 38 has always been the same. Open French oak barriques are used for vinification, and the cap is frequently punched down by hand. The wine then matures for 18 months in the same new barriques in which fermentation took place, followed by another 18 months of bottle-aging.