Alie Rose Ammiraglia Tuscany IGT (Syrah, Vermentino)

The Frescobaldi family planted Tenuta dell'Ammiraglia on the Maremma coast in the late 1990s specifically to exploit the Tyrrhenian sea breeze — a deliberate bet that maritime-cooled viticulture could produce aromatic precision in a region better known for big reds.

The estate sits on low hills above the Tuscan coastline, where sandy, mineral-rich soils and constant afternoon winds from the sea compress the growing season and lock acidity into the grapes at harvest. Alie is a blend of Syrah and Vermentino, an unusual cross-varietal pairing that uses the aromatic lift of the white grape to amplify the floral and spice register of the red.

Vinification is carried out entirely in stainless steel, preserving the saline, citrus-driven freshness that the coastal site delivers — no oak, no malolactic softening, no intervention that would blur the sea-air character. The inclusion of Vermentino in a rosé is the rule this wine breaks: it is neither a skin-contact white nor a conventional single-variety rosé, but a deliberate aromatic construction.

Drink young, within two to three years of vintage, when the herb-and-stone-fruit tension is at its most vivid.