Robin Lee is enchanted by La Collina dei Ciliegi Prea Bianco Verona IGT 2021.

It is always pure joy to travel to the hinterlands of the Veneto, but this day was particularly special because it was the height of cherry season and the branches along the roadside were laden with tantalizing, sweet red fruit. As the name attests, La Collina dei Ciliegi, in the high plateau over Valpantena above Valpolicella, was once cherry territory. 

A generation ago, grape growers in Valpolicella relied on cherries to supplement their income, especially in the poorer vintages, but the supply chains have broken down, and food production has been reorganized in favor of national supermarket chains. There is no longer any profit in fresh fruit. In Montecchio, however, right on the way between the wine villages of Negrar and Grezzana, the cherries are still profuse, and on this day, they were at their peak, simply irresistible and there for the taking. The old cherry growers, however, are the only ones eating them; no one else, it seems, is interested in delicious fresh cherries. A sweet, red-faced, cherry-shaped old man was eating cherries off his tree in a vast orchard bursting with ripe fruit. Leaning on his beat-up old truck with a blissed-out expression, he invited me to join him and to please take as many cherries as I wanted, but I didn’t have any kind of basket, and I had to be at my appointment five minutes down the road in the wine-producing area where there are no cherries at all. Notwithstanding the coincidence of the timing and the suggestive name of the estate, La Collina dei Ciliegi, this event was nothing at all to do with cherries, which are only a distant memory—that is, if something forgotten can be considered a memory.

In Anton Chekhov’s tragi-comic final play The Cherry Orchard, written in 1903, Yermolai Lopakhin, a self-made man, the grandson of serfs, eventually buys the eponymous estate with its famous cherry orchard from his family’s past owners, the endearing, impractical, eccentric aristocrats who ultimately must leave their family home with all its sad and happy memories. The play ends with the doom-laden sound of the cherry trees being chopped down to build holiday homes. Chekhov’s play comes to mind as one enters the luxurious wine resort and hotel, Ca’ del Moro, where the Collina dei Ciliegi presentation was taking place and where we tasted the first wine from what is billed as “the youngest and most revolutionary winery in the Valpantena.” It feels like the first act in a sequel to Chekhov’s last work.

Persuasive, structured minerality

The first wine released by La Collina dei Ciliegi is Prea, a single-vineyard white IGT blend that is mainly Garganega, the variety associated with neighboring Soave, bolstered by Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay. Prea is 1,870–2,030ft (570–620m) above sea level, and the high altitude is felt in the wine, which has a persuasive, structured minerality that distinguishes it from more run-of-the-mill Garganega wines. The wine is very good indeed, and it is exactly the kind of white wine that people in Italy like to drink. To be successful, white wine in Italy must go well with fish and everything else that you eat in summer. It is not supposed to be complicated. White wines with complexity are not mainstream. Yermolai Lopakhin—a good man at heart and also a savvy businessman—would thoroughly approve of Prea, I’m sure.

Internationally renowned agronomists and “terroir-hunters,” husband-and-wife team Claude and Lydia Bourguignon have consulted on this project and performed in-depth analyses of the soil, which indicates how seriously it is being taken. In every vineyard decision, there has been a high level of investment and a commitment to preserving the natural landscape. The Bourguignon team recommended planting 8,000 vines per hectare because, says Lydia, “a grand vin must have high density.” The steep vineyards were not terraced, because that would disturb the soil structure, and they also proposed that white varieties be planted—in particular, on the Prea parcel—due to the high calcium content of the soils. This will no doubt turn out to be an excellent commercial decision. 

High-quality Italian white wine is in demand more than ever, but most other producers in the region have been slow to realize this and are late in rushing to fill the gap in the market. La Collina dei Ciliegi’s wines are elite offerings aimed at the luxury market, which is primed to receive them. They are sure to be a great success. Everything is just fine, even if it feels just like a Chekhov play. 

La Collina dei Ciliegi Prea Bianco Verona IGT 2021

A restrained aroma and palate, with subdued hints of violet, sunflower, marigold, and camomile, gives way to green agave, golden kiwi, and delicate citrusy notes of green kumquat. Much like wines from Soave, this is balanced and restrained, with 13% ABV and medium intensity and length. This is an unpretentious wine that will not distract you from your sea bass, the view from your terrace over the rooftops of Venice, or the eyes of your beloved. 2024–25. | 90

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Robin Lee visits Montalcino and finds Poggio di Sotto in an important moment of transition.

In its essence, Montalcino is one of the easiest appellations to understand. The wines produced here are like the place, and at its best, Brunello di Montalcino emits a resonant and poetic clarity that is difficult to equal and impossible to forget. The vineyards and olives are like the stitches of an ancient tapestry embellished over millennia, with deep-creased furrows fading out into the surrounding, dream-like, mossy oak forests. The intact and historical medieval hilltop village in dark travertine stone dates back a thousand years and more, to Etruscan times. It is an Arcadia with a powerful masculine energy, and Poggio di Sotto’s wines in particular are the classic expression.

A couple of years ago, I participated in a comprehensive tasting of Rosso di Montalcino, which is Montalcino’s second wine, produced in small quantities by the elite Brunello estates from young vines or declassified wines to provide an accessible and somewhat more affordable experience, and on a larger scale by the estates who do not have the rights to produce Brunello (see WFW 77, pp.32–34). In effect, the best Rosso made by the most sought-after estates is so good, as well as such good value, that it can be almost impossible to find after release and quite expensive on the secondary market. In this rarefied category, Poggio di Sotto’s Rosso stands out among a select few. Powerful, spicy, and saline, persuasive, unrushed, and understated, Poggio di Sotto Rosso is distinguished by an astonishing elegance and finesse, and a transparent lightness that transcends its power and depth—and that can be surprising for those who do not know these wines and think they might be heavy, rough-hewn, and cumbersome.

Although Brunello di Montalcino wines should be simple and straightforward, often, due to maladroit interference, they are not. Many wines with the Brunello designation are marred by too much new oak, heavy-handed extraction, or oxidation caused by less-than-ideal conditions during élevage or else, veering in the other direction, lacking in elegance—weedy, rustic, and sour. Although Montalcino is one of Tuscany’s most prestigious wine regions, it is nevertheless a young region, and it has attracted big personalities and egos: trustafarians and idealists who are neither shy nor humble and who have plenty of money at their disposal to seek vinous fame and consolidate their fortune in a vinous currency. The rules for Brunello are simple but time-consuming compared to other Sangiovese wines. A DOC since 1966, Brunello di Montalcino became Italy’s first DOCG in 1980. Brunello di Montalcino requires a minimum of two years in oak and another four months in bottle (six months for Riserva), though in practice the aging process is often much longer. Brunello—now designated as a local name for Sangiovese and not a specific clone as once claimed—is, however, defined and determined by its origin and by Montalcino’s emergent subzones, as well as by the winemaking appellation as a whole.

Poggio di Sotto: Blessed by nature 

Poggio di Sotto is in the commune of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, to the south of the appellation. It is one of the warmest of Montalcino’s subregions, but this is moderated by the north and southwest expositions of Poggio di Sotto’s vineyards and its high altitude on a steep outcrop rising up to 1,400ft (440m) above sea level. Schistous galestro contrasts with parcels of pebble-strewn red, rocky clays and gray marl compacted with mineral conglomerates, which encapsulate in this small estate the astonishing range and variety of Montalcino’s vineyard soils, originating from alluvial deposits, volcanic activity, and shifting tectonic plates that upended the teeming seabed that thrived here in ancient times. Poggio di Sotto comprises 48ha (120 acres), of which 20ha (50 acres) are under vine, with another 3ha (7.5 acres) coming into production. Unlike most of Montalcino, which was wild forest until the recent past, what is now Poggio di Sotto was farmed by the nearby Abbey of Sant’Antimo from time immemorial. Protected from the harshest extremes of weather by the extinct volcano of Monte Amiata looming on the horizon, as well as by the moderating effects of the River Orcia to the east, avoiding excessive heat in summer thanks to the cooling sea breezes from the west, Poggio di Sotto is blessed by nature. The position of the estate creates a balance of ventilation and shelter. Cool nights contrasting with the dry hot days during the ripening season preserve acidity and make for summers here that are quite perfect, not just for producing wine. The Poggio di Sotto estate has been organic since its foundation in 1989, which is less difficult here than it would be elsewhere, since in this region the sun and wind protect against many disease threats, and pests are likewise controlled by a biodiversity that promotes natural resistance. Montalcino is remarkable among Italian wine regions for its high biodiversity; the total vineyard area of the appellation is a mere 15%, and most of Montalcino is still primeval forest.

Since 2011, Poggio di Sotto has been under the ownership of brother and sister Claudio Tipa and Maria Iris Bertarelli, the wealthy owners of Castello Colle Massari, a flagship of the Montecucco region, and the under-the-radar but nevertheless well-regarded Grattamacco estate in Bolgheri. Poggio di Sotto, a cult wine, is however the jewel in their crown. Poggio di Sotto’s lofty reputation was created under the legendary stewardship of its previous owner, Piero Palmucci, who had made his fortune in international shipping but then transformed himself into an expert in Montalcino’s microclimates and soils. Palmucci carried out extensive, intense research, always with the aim of producing the best wine in the world and in the certain expectation of realizing the beautiful purity of expression that still defines Poggio di Sotto today. Palmucci created his wines with the help of renowned consultant winemaker Giulio Gambelli, who by then was already famous as Italy’s leading expert on Sangiovese, thanks to his prior involvement with other important Tuscany estates, including Soldera’s Case Basse and Montevertine, and not least for his important role in resuscitating the reputation of Sangiovese at a time when it was not well regarded. 

Building on the previous work of Palmucci—and in partnership with Florence University—the new owners of Poggio di Sotto conducted a clonal research project starting in 2011 that entailed selecting vine wood from the estate’s oldest vineyards, which had been planted with earlier massal selections in 1975, ’79, ’82, ’85, and ’89. This monumental endeavor took more than three years to complete, culminating in 2014 with the planting of a proprietary vineyard with 182 distinct Sangiovese biotypes that had been identified and selected from Poggio di Sotto’s older vineyards. This enormous selection is now the basis for all the estate’s new vineyards that are being planted or replanted. Leonardo Berti, Poggio di Sotto’s winemaker, explains that no selection is made from the 182 clones. They are planted as a field blend: “Some of the clones may be preferable, but the special thing we are trying to do, the complexity we are aiming for, comes from the huge and almost crazy mix of so many clones, some of which are super-productive and some so unproductive that they might produce three bunches. We think this gives us the extra something on every parameter—this huge and unmanaged and unquantifiable variation.” It is a refreshingly unscientific and fatalistic approach in an age of overreliance on science, overambitious precision, and unrealistic overanalysis of clonal selections, where the objective tends to be trying to achieve a specific predetermined outcome, leaving nothing to chance. Other estates in Montalcino have focused on selecting their one best clone and relying on that exclusively for new vineyards, but the clonal selection at Poggio di Sotto is revelatory because it is moving in the opposite direction—essentially, away from the philosophy of clonal selection, toward a true massal selection, and encouraging the proliferation of genetic diversity at a time when the loss of genetic diversity in grapevines is becoming an existential threat for the future of viticulture.

According to Berti, the main challenges the estate currently faces are due to climate change, which takes its toll with extreme vintages, severe spring frost risk, and hot, arid summers. The wide range of genetic material in the vineyard is an important tool of resistance, of course, as well as rootstocks adapted for drought (110R, Kober 5BB) that are being introduced in the new vineyards, and pruning methods that respect the sap flow of the vine and prevent vine wood disease. Yet by far the most significant change on the horizon is the introduction of fixed irrigation, which was made legal by the Brunello Consortium in 2017 and, in practice, has been allowed by derogation since 2013. For now, Poggio di Sotto does not have the infrastructure for consistent irrigation on a regular basis, but building it, creating the reservoirs, and investing in the necessary technology will be a priority for Poggio di Sotto in the coming years.

The planned introduction of irrigation at one of the most emblematic and traditional estates in Montalcino will be a determinant factor over the next decades and into the future, given that recent vintages—such as 2020, 2021, and 2022—have all been characterized by excessive heat, sometimes compounded, as in 2021, by frost damage, which reduced yields and increased the concentration in the remaining grapes. These effects can, to some extent, be remedied by a judicious use of irrigation, which also mitigates the severe heat stress that can affect vine longevity, but at the same time there are also very real risks to wine quality when irrigation is used and then inevitably relied upon. The great wine regions have traditionally not allowed irrigation for this reason, because it is anathema to the philosophy of terroir. Montalcino’s leading luminary Gianfranco Soldera, for example, inveighed against it and opposed it on principle. 

To be sure, a certain insouciance can be detected in the offhand manner of the present management at Poggio di Sotto, which takes for granted the inevitability of introducing irrigation and presents it as something that should not even be seen as controversial, whereas irrigation can benefit vines but also carries serious risks—not just for wine quality but also for the holistic ecology of the vineyard and its surroundings. There will surely be many important challenges that Poggio di Sotto will face in the future. Another problematic issue when considering the introduction of irrigation at an estate like Poggio di Sotto—renowned for its low environmental impact, prized for its small volume of production, and emulated for its organic protocols—is the wider social impact that may be the result once irrigation at elite wine estates becomes the new normal and is universally adopted, as seems inevitable. Dry-farmed vineyards do not deplete water resources—on the contrary, sensitively managed vineyards that do not use synthetic fertilizers retain water and can prevent soil erosion. Water is, after all, a limited resource, and irrigated vineyards compete for water against people, as well as the civic infrastructure, animals, wildlife, industry, and all other agriculture. In the future, if even the most traditional wine regions and their most elite wines are produced using irrigation, wine production—which, in Montalcino, can certainly be seen as a business that is conducted exclusively by the rich and for the rich—could become controversial if it depletes water resources. When history and old traditions are thoughtlessly discarded, there is always the risk of losing legitimacy and popular support. There are many people in the world who do not like wine and what it represents, and who will be ready and waiting to denounce it. A dry-farmed, low-volume-production, organic vineyard that suffers the vagaries and vicissitudes that nature imposes is much more difficult to condemn.

A time of transition 

Vinification at Poggio di Sotto is traditional, in 50hl (1,320-US-gallon) wood vats, with gentle, frequent, and prolonged pumping-over. The grapes are destemmed but not crushed. In January or February, the wine is transferred to 30hl (792-US-gallon) Slavonian oak foudres. There is no overt oak influence. The amount of time the wine spends in foudres depends on the character of the vintage: 2016 and 2019 had longer aging than 2018 and 2020. During élevage, the wine is racked once in the first year, and then it stays still, settling, until it is transferred to concrete vats and then bottled. The Rosso tends to be bottled two years after harvest. (By law, it must be aged in wood for one year.) For Brunello and Riserva, the wine stays in the foudres for at least 36 months, but typically four years, before it is bottled, and the Riserva a year longer. Approximately 30,000 bottles of Rosso are produced a year, and 35,000 bottles of Brunello. The Riserva is between 4,000 and 5,000 bottles in the years it is produced, and it is often from a single plot, which, counterintuitively, in cooler years tends to be from the higher slopes at between 1,000 and 1,300ft (300–400m), and in hotter years from the lower vineyards with cooler clay and galestro soils. The selection of the Riserva, Brunello, and Rosso does not follow a formula, and the decision on the categories and the length of time the wines are aged depends on the wine’s individual character and the vintage. 

Poggio di Sotto is more than just a great wine; it represents an individual quest for excellence and even, perhaps, perfection. It is recognized as one of Italy’s greatest wines, and it must be hoped that its reputation survives the handover not only to the new owners and new management but also to a new generation of consumers. The future of Poggio di Sotto does not depend on the efforts or genius of just one man; it will be a community effort and requires a shared idealistic dedication to the pursuit of excellence for its own sake, undistracted by short-term goals of profitability or critics’ scores. Both Montalcino as a whole and Poggio di Sotto in particular are in a transition phase—it could be seen as akin to the transition from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment—and it will be interesting to see how that goes. 

Tasting Poggio di Sotto

2021 Poggio di Sotto Rosso

Brilliant ruby color, transparent with a cherry red rim. Shy on the nose. Bright red fruit, pomegranate juice, with a bitter edge of laurel, loquat and sweet persimmon that opens on the palate. A cherry-brandy note recalls the hot vintage but is balanced by juicy freshness, natural richness, and earthy minerality. This Rosso has emerged tempered from the furnace, elegant and suave. 2024–29. | 94

2020 Poggio di Sotto Rosso

Gorgeously perfumed on the nose with a premature hint of brick color. On the palate, there are beguiling aromas of red roses, cherry extract, cranberry, and pomegranate, followed up with a notable tannic grip. This wine is serious, structured, and long, with appetizing hints of spicy cayenne interlaced with sun-dried tomato and dried bresaola. The finish is long and impressive, with an elegant succulence that suggests this is a wine that can develop and improve further over another 6 or 7 years. 2024–30. | 95

2019 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino

Violet and rose aromas, with dark berry juice and tightly knit, chewy tannins, make for a brooding and yet well-structured wine. The perfume of tobacco leaf, fresh almonds, and joyous red berry fruits combines gracefully with darker notes of burned umber, star anise, hints of dried orange peel, and unagi sushi, with a touch of soy sauce. A sensual and textural wine with high levels of extract that is still in the emergent phase and promises great things to come. 2029–45. | 95

2018 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino

The 2018s were looked at askance at the time, and in fact it was a difficult year, with botrytis decimating at least 25% of the harvest. This is not a typical Brunello—it is more fine-boned, though nevertheless vibrant and highly structured. Flavors of sweet red berries and plums mingle with orange zest and rose petals, give way to camphor, sandalwood, and cinnamon bark as the wine unfolds, with layered, enveloping, richly exotic notes of oolong and allspice coming to the fore. A wonderful wine, though light-bodied compared to its fellows, and probably not best suited to long cellaring. 2024–34. | 96

2018 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Dark and spicy, supported by gratifying, tactile tannins that feel like sun-warmed bricks, this wine comes from what seemed at the time like a difficult vintage. It is from a single-vineyard plot harvested in two passes 15 days apart to preserve the vibrant purity and yet also allow the sumptuous fruit to express itself. A mellowed intensity of blackberries, dark cherries, and wild strawberries tantalizingly unfolds on the palate, deftly lifted by a tensile, crystalline acidity. Astonishingly fresh and pure, this Riserva continues to unfurl its secrets the more time you allow it to breathe in the glass, revealing beguiling and complex savory notes of fennel, chimichurri, maple syrup, and a mysterious whiff of tobacco smoke. 2024–40. | 98

2015 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Fresh, bright, young Chekhovian cherry fruit and juicy, succulent redcurrant, with a beauteous wafting perfume of hot summer days and fig leaves, herald this stunningly poised, graceful, and youthful Riserva. It has a slow evolution in the glass, showing deeper plums and violets as it unfolds. The overall impression here is this wine’s energy, which has clearly benefited from those long years in oak, where many of its peers stumble. Mulberry, white pepper, and balsam gradually unfurl and hint at further unseen depths yet to be explored. The tannins are tightly wound, and glorious mysteries abound, like a fairy dance deep in the woods. This wine can surely benefit from more time in the cellar before it reaches its peak of perfection. 2028–45. | 99+

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Robin Lee appraises the latest vintage from Ornellaia, and its special-edition label by Italian multidisciplinary artist, Marinella Senatore.

A not uncommon phenomenon is when two people, most often two women, pretend they are best friends because it is useful or necessary, even though they really dislike each other intensely and are in fact deadly enemies and rivals. This kind of friend is known as a frenemy. Are Wine and Art a good example of frenemies? You see them all the time hanging out together, but are they really friends?

At most art openings there is usually wine, Champagne, or at least warm Prosecco, so I was very surprised and intrigued that at this year’s Venice Biennale, at the best-attended, most chic opening—that of Caspar Williams at Palazzo Soranzo Cappello—only water was on offer for the guests. The Vendemmia d’Artista series from Ornellaia has been going now since 2006, but if wine is now off the menu at the Venice Biennale, one must wonder: Has Art already dumped Wine as a friend and Wine just doesn’t know it yet? 

Inspired by natural elements

Last year, the 2020 edition of Vendemmia d’Artista had a label designed by Joseph Kosuth (see WFW 80, 2023, p.94), and although the remarkable artwork that Kosuth produced was even more valuable than the wine inside the bottle, it does not seem to have made much of an impression on the art world. According to Sotheby’s, the Salmanazar sold for £27,500, including the commission—well beneath the pre-sale estimate of £30,000–80,000. This year, the 2021 Vendemmia d’Artista edition has a label design by Italian multidisciplinary artist Marinella Senatore (Sotheby’s pre-sale estimate £15,000–40,000), and the situation may be somewhat the reverse.

The word that has been chosen by Ornellaia to describe the 2021 vintage is Generosità (“Generosity”). Senatore says she was inspired by “natural elements, like the sea, wind, and stars that merge with the energy of the people who work here and create correlations that are declarations of awareness.” The labels of the 750ml bottles, double magnums, and imperials are a series of collages that feature the hands of the people who work at Ornellaia as a visual device. The Salmanazar is decorated with an illuminated line from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” realized in cold neon so that it does not impact the wine inside the bottle. In my opinion, the bottle adorned with neon words feels derivative of other artists’ works—Tracey Emin and Joseph Kosuth himself come to mind—and appropriating the words of Whitman  in this context may seem a little lazy. The collage labels on the double magnums and imperials are more successful in my view, and they are also aesthetically pleasing, which is an important consideration in their favor.

Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, who recently stepped down after 24 years as CEO of Ornellaia, has been the driving force of the estate, and the Vendemmia d’Artista is his brainchild. He announced his retirement last year at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, where Ornellaia has hosted an event every year until this year. All good things come to an end. Geddes is the one who saw the advantages to be gained by using art as a marketing tool and a charity fundraiser, and it was he who had the idea of linking Ornellaia to the Guggenheim Museum by supporting its Mind’s Eye program, aimed at encouraging the blind and partially sighted to experience art with verbal descriptions and sensory guides.

Change in a universal language

Shortly before this issue was going to press, it was announced that Geddes is being succeeded as CEO of Gruppo Marchesi Frescobaldi by Fabrizio Dosi, COO since 2019. But the Frescobaldi family might still decide to influence the image of Ornellaia a little more from now on. Although Lamberto Frescobaldi, current president of Marchesi Frescobaldi, is the 18th generation of his family to be in the wine business, he insisted when we met, “I do not like tradition. Tradition is like the comfort zone of people who fear the future. Change is the power in the world. If my family had a fear of change, we would not be here.”

Meanwhile Art and Wine need to see if they have it in them to become real friends. Art can be beautiful on a label, especially when there is a true connection with the wine. Likewise, it would be sad if the long, though sometimes inglorious, tradition of wine at gallery openings were to come to a permanent end. As gestures of goodwill and generosity toward art, maybe Ornellaia could donate wine to up-and-coming and often cash-strapped curators at the next Venice Biennale to be served at their openings, as well as letting the blind and partially sighted taste the wine. Marinella Senatore says her objective was to “translate the character of the wine into a universal language.” And wine itself is exactly that—a universal language—which can be especially inspiring, perhaps even revelatory, for blind or partially sighted people, since its appreciation is not reliant on sight, and it engages all the other senses—especially smell and taste, but also touch and even sound—to create and share emotion. 

Tasting

2021 Ornellaia 

A dense and muscular wine, the 2021 Ornellaia opens with tantalizing mulberry, myrtle, and cassis, edging toward box, bay leaf, bonfire smoke, and hedgerow. Savory wild plum, Karkar Island cocoa, and tingling hints of conifer are matched with lively acidity and dense tannins like shiny river pebbles, polished and round. There is a sweet, dark, piercing center of pigeon blood deepening into charcoal black espresso, pencil shavings, black pepper, and lapsang. The hefty 15% ABV is gracefully integrated, and the wine lingers, drifting in a garland of savory herb extracts, sweet camphor, and sandalwood. 2025–50. | 94

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Tua Rita is a family-owned winery in the northern Maremma, near Livorno in Tuscany, just within view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the verdant Val di Cornia. Dark cypresses pierce the heavenly October-blue sky, rows of loaded fermentation vats stand sentinel, barrels from last year’s vintage gently exhale their angel’s share, frog-green oil spills out of the frantoio. This part of Tuscany is, of course, renowned for Super-Tuscans—the luxurious, barrique-aged Bordeaux blends that garnered worldwide acclaim in the 1990s and 2000s and now rival the best wines from Napa, Stellenbosch, and Coonawarra.

The Piombino Channel between Italy and the island of Elba funnels the mistral winds and shelters this section of the coast from storms. In the summer, it is up to 7°F (4°C) warmer here than in Bolgheri 25 miles (40km) to the north, where most of the other famous Super-Tuscans originate. The freshness of the wines is preserved by a high diurnal range, thanks to the Cornia River, which flows down to the sea from the Colline Metallifere, rich in manganese, iron, and other trace elements that constitute the soils here, as well as the rose-colored marble in the vineyards. Tua Rita ranges from 330ft to 1,250ft (100–380m) above sea level, and the clay and calcareous soils, which are drier and less fertile than in Bolgheri, give structure to the wines. When Tua Rita was first established, the vineyards were planted in wide rows, with tighter spacing between vines and a high density of up to 9,000 vines/ha; but now, with smaller tractors available, the newer vineyards are planted with climate change in mind, with narrower rows and wider spacing within the row and lower density overall, at 5,500 vines/ha. When these vineyards come into production, the estate will be better equipped to face drought years such as 2022 and 2020.

Tua Rita is named after the family matriarch, Rita Tua, but the estate is run and managed by her affable, hardworking son-in-law Stefano Frascolla. There is a daughter/wife in the middle, Simena Bisti, fleetingly espied at the estate decanting its just-pressed olive oil into spotless dishes to be mopped up with saltless bread. Starting with the first vintage of Giusto di Notri in 1992—a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc—Tua Rita has been a fortuitous, long-term, though not continuous collaboration of the Tua-Bisti-Frascolla family and the consultant enologist Luca D’Attoma, still working with them today. As a graduate, D’Attoma was convinced of the great potential of Bordeaux grape varieties on this terroir. “I was young, I was idealistic; I wanted to do something important in a new place,” D’Attoma recalls. What started in 1984 as a modest country retreat with a 1ha (2.5-acre) parcel of Sangiovese for the family’s private consumption, today produces around 350,000 bottles a year from 71ha (175.5 acres)—most planted to the classic Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) but some to Syrah, Sangiovese, and Ansonica—of which 50ha (123.5 acres) are in production and another 20ha (50 acres) have been planted over the past six years. This is a show of confidence that the market for these wines is growing.

In the cellar, methods are fairly straightforward, with a slow fermentation at 75–79°F (24–26°C), a gentle extraction, and a long maceration of at least 30 days, with between 18 and 20 months of aging in French barriques for the Bordeaux blends, and between 15 and 17 months for Syrah. Recently, terra-cotta amphorae have been introduced. “At first I thought it was just a passing trend,” says Frascolla, “but now I am convinced by them. They contribute textural depth.” The Keir wines—an Ansonica and a Syrah—are entirely vinified in terra-cotta, with maceration periods of two months and six months respectively. With all the wines, the aim is for “more an infusion than extraction,” D’Attoma explains. “What matters most in the end, however, is always the intention of the winemaker, not the techniques as such. To make a wine is like making a work of art, and it is the winemaker who makes the difference. Maybe one day, AI will be able to make a great wine, but for now I think only humans can do that.”

Tua Rita: Made for pleasure

In September 2023, Tua Rita’s UK importer, Armit Wines, presented the latest releases, most of them from the difficult 2021 vintage—a frosty, wet spring followed by heat spikes in July and August—to a group of journalists at a lavish lunch in London in the Italian Room at the Mount Street Restaurant in Mayfair. At this discreet but sumptuous venue, the wines were displayed against the backdrop of a priceless collection of modernist masterpieces by Giorgio de Chirico, Alighero Boetti, Lucio Fontana, Giorgio Morandi, and suchlike—the premise being that Tua Rita should be thought of as wines for this kind of setting, which seemed slightly incongruous given Frascolla’s frank and modest demeanor and his understated presentational style. In answer to a question about the profusion of different wines we were tasting, Frascolla explained that producing a wide variety of styles is the best way for the estate to continue to explore new avenues and to grow. “We do not have a long history,” he explained. “We are still working out what we do; we are still discovering what we are and what we can be.”

Like most family businesses, Tua Rita attaches a high priority to making what sells easily. “To maintain a tradition, you sometimes need to think in a modern way,” claims D’Attoma. And indeed, these wines are the opposite of hard core. They do not seem to be aimed primarily at wine nerds, scholars, or purists. Tua Rita comes from a part of Tuscany that does not have a long wine tradition, and the Tua-Bisti-Frascolla family is not from a wine background. It was a happy case of being in the right place at the right time, during Berlusconi’s “Made in Italy” heyday, when they launched their Bordeaux blends and caught the zeitgeist, winning the hearts of affluent foreigners who love Italy but who prefer drinking Cabernet/Merlot rather than Chianti—a large and rewarding demographic. “The older generation saw wine as a necessity; it was like salt on the table,” says Frascolla. “But our customers see wine as a luxury, as something to underline a beautiful occasion.”

Tua Rita wines are made for pleasure and aimed at those whose objective is pleasure. The distinctive labels, based on colorful paintings by Raffaele De Rosa, a family friend, conjure up a different era of hedonistic blow-out meals and grandiose entertaining. Wines like these, though still very popular in some markets, are no longer what everyone is looking for now that lighter styles are back in fashion, which may be the challenge that the estate will have to confront. These wines are not traditional and are not the traditional accompaniment for local Tuscan food, so it seems to me that where they really belong is in smart Italian restaurants beyond Italy.

“All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” wrote Tolstoy. The wines of Tua Rita are rather like a happy family: They are genuine, they have personality, and they were born spontaneously, not designed by someone holding a pocket calculator. These wines are made to be enjoyed. A happy family is what a lot of people are seeking, or should be, as there’s nothing wrong with that, even if they have fewer novels written about them. 

Tasting Tua Rita

These were my highlights among the latest releases, plus one wine tasted at Tua Rita.

Keir Ansonica 2022

Aromatic notes of tangerine skins, nectarine, and medlar. Weighty on the palate, like coconut milk, but bright and fresh on the finish, with a suggestion of fresh mint and chamomile. A simple but very enjoyable wine, with textural depth, intensity, and good length. 92

Keir Syrah 2021

Slow maceration in terra-cotta has produced a textural wine that is nevertheless light on the palate, especially for Syrah. Notes of black olive, sun-dried tomato, black cherry, and cypress needles underfoot, with smoky chipotle in the background. Loose-knit tannins and hints of anise on the finish. Fresh and juicy but not overripe, with an emphasis on texture rather than aroma. 92

Per Sempre Syrah 2021

Powerful, opulent, and glossy, with supple tannins and polished tones of coffee, cherry liqueur, charcoal, and pipe smoke. This wine, made in 100% new French oak, is balanced and well integrated. Smooth, luscious, and impressive, like a black mink coat swishing into the opera house. 94

Redigaffi 2021

This is an outstanding wine and Tua Rita’s flagship. Especially now that Masseto has started adding in Cabernet Franc, perhaps Redigaffi can claim the crown as Italy’s finest Merlot, a title to which it has a good claim in any case. Textural, luscious, and supple, with tight and firm tannins that are nevertheless giving and generous. The dark color is reflected in the dark mulberry flavors, with layers and depth and complex notes of bitter kale, spearmint, red roses, wild strawberry, and dark plum jam. 96

Redigaffi 7 Selezione 2019

A special selection that I tasted at the estate. This exceptional wine has been made only three times, selected from the best parcels and oldest vines of Redigaffi, and bottled only in magnum. The texture is enveloping, with firm but fine tannins and billowing aromas that are complex, enticing, and surprising, with an oriental twist. Dark cassis is overlaid with rye toast, walnut juice, and raw tuna. There are also softer notes of lapsang souchong, camphor, ylang-ylang, and even sauerkraut. A very persistent finish, which keeps you wondering long after the glass is finished. Truly amazing and special. 98+

The post Tua Rita latest releases: Family values  appeared first on World Of Fine Wine.

In the first piece in a week-long series devoted to viticulture and viticulturists on worldoffinewine.com, we have dug into the archives to publish Robin Lee’s inspiring profile of the charismatic viticultural revolutionary, Marco Simonit (WFW55, 2016), online for the first time.

Simonit’s close study of vines has given rise to radical new perspectives and techniques, many of which have been adopted by leading producers worldwide, restoring dignity to the crucial task of pruning, as well as extending the life of vines and improving the quality of the wines.

Looks can be deceiving. “The work of science,” wrote Ruskin, “is to substitute facts for appearances, and demonstrations for impressions.” Marked by a simple metal plaque, the head office of Simonit & Sirch Preparatoriuva is to be found in an unprepossessing suburban shopping mall in the town of Corno di Rosazzo in Friuli. There is no outward indication that a viticultural revolution is emanating from here. 

My appointment with Marco Simonit was at 9am, and he arrived soon after in his trademark plaid shirt, fitted jeans, and jaunty leather jacket. Simonit is something of a celebrity in Italy. He is famous for making pruning cool. He has appeared in Italian Vogue and on RAI television and has produced a series of eye-catching YouTube videos that feature not only his pruning techniques but also his unique brand of charisma and personal flair. He has an aura of mystery, being a little like the Andy Warhol of viticulture, with an intriguing combination of unexpected artistry, creativity, wisdom, and skill, which he applies exclusively to pruning—an arduous manual task that, at least until he came along, was thought of, if at all, as the very opposite of glamorous.

Simonit is of medium height and fashionably trim. His face is contoured by white stubble, and his shock of white hair is swept up in a vertiginous pompadour; he might be considered a hipster. He does not hide his emotions. At this, our first meeting, he talked at length about his heartbreak over his recent divorce and the custody battle over his three young children. He took several phone calls from his mother. He has a certain shyness and reserve that can seem studied and constrained, but when he smiles his eyes light up with a childlike candor. 

Simonit’s journey: From autodidact and autopsy, to authority

I first learned about Marco Simonit on a late winter visit to Valpolicella, from Simonit’s friend and long-standing client Andrea Lonardi, managing director at Bertani. Beneath the glorious neoclassical facade of the Villa Novare, one of Simonit’s dynamic young assistants explained Simonit’s techniques to me with a febrile energy that almost made me feel I was being inducted into a cult. It was not just a verbal explanation. He also showed me Simonit’s fascinating collection of bisected vines, which demonstrate with devastating clarity the evidence behind the theory. 

With Simonit I went to visit the vineyards of Schiopetto in Friuli, which is where it all started. Simonit uses these as a “campus,” to train people who work for him and to show the long-term effects of his pruning techniques. Considering it is 40 years old, the vineyard we visit is exceptionally uniform, in terms of both vine age and the shape of the vines, which also means that ripening is more uniform. Another effect of Simonit’s pruning method is that, in terms of a decline in vigor, the vine becomes “old” much later than it would if it were pruned in the usual way. 

Simonit grew up nearby, in the countryside, in Gradisca d’Isonzo in the province of Gorizia. His father died of a rare blood disease at the age of 27, when Simonit was less than two years old, and since his mother could not care for him, Simonit lived with his grandparents, who were farmers. As a child, he always wanted to be a veterinarian when he grew up, but after studying agriculture at the local college in Cividale in Friuli, he lacked the funds to continue his education. He ended up finding work at the Consorzio of the Collio DOC, and from 1988 to 1998 he was the technical adviser, responsible for giving the local growers up-to-date guidance on every aspect of viticulture. 

“It was a whole new experience for me,” Simonit explains. “When I was younger, I never had any interest in working in the vineyard—I much preferred to stay and help my grandmother take care of the animals. I was not at all interested in cellar work or other aspects of agronomy, but I had always done a lot of drawing, especially of trees. At this time, I started drawing vines, especially old vines, and observing… looking at them. I became fascinated by the vine’s morphology, how the vine grows, how it is formed, how it has been domesticated and how it has adapted to being domesticated. 

“I was curious about why some vines grew to be old,” continues Simonit. “Whenever I had some money, I would get a car and go look for old vines in places that had old traditions: Portugal, Spain, Croatia, the islands of Italy, Greece. Also Alsace and especially the south of France, where I spent a lot of time working with the old gobelet vines, and in Priorat, where there were vines 70 or 80 years old. If I saw an old vineyard with old vines and there was someone working there, I would stop the car and offer to give a hand. Sometimes I would end up staying there a week, eating with the vine grower and learning how he took care of his vines. It was always an adventure.”

Schiopetto, a member of the Collio consorzio, allowed Simonit, who was full of new ideas, to use a part of his vineyard for practical experiments. “I remember Mario Schiopetto telling me, ‘Go and explain to the workers what they should do,’ and I told him I couldn’t explain something I didn’t understand. This was something I had to do myself. I needed to make a connection between my ideas and reality—and he gave me the chance to do that.

“Meanwhile I continued collecting vines—especially all the examples I found that were dried up, sick, or dying,” continues Simonit. “I took them to a carpenter to have them sawn in half so that I could look inside. It was like an autopsy. I saw the wounds inside the vine and how they blocked the flow of the sap. It was incredible. So little wood was alive. It was all dead. It seemed so strange to me. I did a lot of bisections of vines I found in different places in order to understand the consequences of pruning wounds. This was not something that had ever been taught in school—never. I would seek out my former professors to ask questions, but I only got half-answers. No one was interested, and in fact most of them thought I was more than slightly mad to be going on about this, which was of no interest to anyone.” 

Attilio Scienza, professor of viticulture at Milan University, was the noteworthy exception. Scienza, perfectly rotund, with a gentle humor and a wry expression, has mentored a generation of vine growers and has an inexhaustible interest in all things gastronomic and vinous. He is famous for his tireless activity in helping forge connections between the people and places that supply the table in Italy with its unmatched munificence. “In universities we snubbed pruning,” Scienza admits. “We didn’t teach it until Marco Simonit put it at the center of attention.” Scienza met Simonit when he was working at the consorzio. “At the beginning he did not have scientific credibility, and people thought he was just a chatterer. I helped him prepare the technical materials.” 

Keeping the sap flowing 

The fundamental principle behind Simonit’s pruning method—which can be applied to any vine-training system and any grape variety—is the importance of following the flow of the sap. It is crucial to choose canes that have an uninterrupted flow of sap from the roots. This is because when a vine’s branch is cut or pruned, a dry cone of dead wood forms inside and extends inward to a length at least equivalent to the circumference of the cut. It is like a scar, but instead of being external it is internal. This dried and dead internal “dessication cone” blocks the flow of the sap inside the trunk of the vine. The sap can of course flow around the sides of this dry cone, but if there are many cuts made at random from all different sides—especially large cuts, as is often the case with traditional pruning methods—the dry cones inside the vine crisscross and, eventually, can completely block the flow of the sap, cutting off the vine’s nourishment. With Simonit’s method, the cuts are made only on one side of the vine, preserving the sap flow on the other side. 

Another important principle is that the pruning cuts are not made flush against the trunk of the vine, to give a neat appearance, but instead are made at a distance from the trunk of the vine. This is especially important when making big cuts on wood that is more than two years old, where the “dessication cone” would be of a significant size and also an entry point for fungal disease, such as esca. With Simonit’s method, only wood less than two years old is cut, and therefore large cuts are mostly avoided. In cases where large cuts are absolutely necessary, the wood is cut at a distance proportional to the size of the cut to protect the permanent wood of the vine.

Simonit believes that high-density planting, when combined with incorrect pruning methods, creates conditions that cause many of the worst problems producers face today, including rampant vine-wood disease, premature vine death, and, most important, vineyards with a life expectancy of only 25–30 years before the vines die or their yields become uneconomical. “What I realized from traveling and from my experiments was that there was a common denominator,” remembers Simonit. “It was like a lightbulb in my head. Regardless of where they came from, the old vines, at least the healthy ones, were highly developed in their growth—and without amputated limbs. It began to dawn on me that the mania in Europe and the New World for dense planting does not generally allow enough space for the vine to grow old. The vine needs to grow, and this growth must be managed—not prevented—by pruning. From the height of the posts and the wires, to the vine spacing and the width between rows, the thinking behind the modern way of planting is based on geometry, not on physiology. It is a logic that makes sense for machines but does not envisage the growth of the vines over time.” 

Discovery and recovery 

Eventually, after ten years in the job, Simonit left the consorzio and set up his company with an old friend from elementary school, Pierpaolo Sirch, who at the time was making wine at his small family holding. “Now it seems obvious—like the discovery of hot water,” says Sirch, “but we learned by bumping our noses.” Sirch is very different from Simonit: less urbane and more connected to the countryside and its traditions. “The question we had was, Which are the vines that live the longest? Alberello [Italian for gobelet] allows the vine to grow old and in good health. The branches come from below and grow upward. When you prune alberello, the cuts are small and never from the underside of the vine. Why can’t these principles be brought to the modern forms? The problem is that viticulture has totally transformed. People changed, and the vines changed—varieties, as well as training systems. The old methods and knowledge are mostly lost.”

Simonit & Sirch (S&S)’s first client was Josko Gravner, who called Simonit the day he left his job at the consorzio. “I would never have anything to do with any free assistance,” says Gravner hotly. “I only wanted Marco’s advice when it was possible to pay for it. I knew about his work from a conference with Professor Scienza, where I heard him speak. Even at 25 years old, he was very interesting to listen to; he had very clear ideas. He made these discoveries because he sees the plant and he understands it. This is something that comes from inside.” Gravner’s Ribolla vines are planted 31.5in (80cm) apart—a high density. So, to ensure that the vines had the growing space they needed, Simonit invented for his vineyard a new training system: ventaglio (“fan”). Gravner is still a client 20 years on.

When S&S was starting, Scienza helped out by making introductions. Simonit recalls how, on more than one occasion, he and Scienza would be visiting an estate where the estate manager was one of Scienza’s former students. The estate manager would say, “But Professor, that is not what you taught us!” And Scienza would reply, “I know—but now this is what I believe.” As Scienza concedes, “We need to be humble, to acknowledge our mistakes and to change the way we do things. Every plant is different and needs to be treated as an individual. Modern agriculture has lost the capacity to understand the plant.”

“Sicily is different from other parts of Italy because its rural tradition is still alive,” says Alessio Planeta, an early client. “These men have been pruning for seven generations and consider pruning their craft. It was tricky to get them to listen to someone who speaks Italian with a Friuli accent and has his hair sticking up. Marco also does a kind of ‘casting’ for his assistants,” Planeta continues. “They have a ‘look,’ like Abercrombie, which couldn’t be more different from what pruners are usually like. Somehow, though, seeing these cool guys, and hearing that they really know what they are talking about, made the workers see themselves in a different way and start to think pruning can be young and fashionable.”

“It is as much about explaining why as explaining how,” agrees Angelo Gaja, who hired S&S in 2004. “Marco knows how to communicate. He knows how to involve people in learning, whether they are experts or unaware of the subject. He knows how to create enthusiasm, to create bonds in a group and to work together to reach a goal. Today we follow the pruning method we learned from S&S, which gives much more health and more life to the vines.” 

As Sirch explains: “There is a tangible effect of our work that we never took into consideration at the start. It makes the workers feel important—very often for the first time—if only because the estate invests money in them and their work. There is a criticism to make with regard to most estates—at least in Italy. They have always spent a lot of money on technology in the cellar, on communications, on commercial aspects. In the vineyard they have invested in tractors and machines, but for the most part they have invested very little in people and training. Pruning is actually a vitally important, or even determinant, factor in terms of the lifespan and wellbeing of the vines. It is vital for the workers, the pruners, to feel that they are an important part of the estate.”

Longevity, quality, responsibility 

The question remains whether or not all of this has any beneficial effect on the taste of the wine, which, for many involved in viticulture, is the only issue worth considering. Gaja is reserved on this point: “We produce wines that arrive at their peak only after 30 or 40 years. It is too early to say.” 

However, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, chef de cave at Champagne Louis Roederer, has been working with S&S for four years and is convinced: “I do believe this will make the wine better, but right now what is much more important is the difference this makes for my team. I told them, ‘This isn’t Italian pruning anymore—it’s Roederer pruning.’ For control experiments, I now have to bring people from outside to do the pruning in the ‘old’ way because our workers just can’t do it anymore. They have learned the value of their craft and that the pruner is important in the wine story. Before, it was just a matter of putting in the hours. Now they are proud of their job. When people are involved and engaged in this way, they start to notice things. I hear about details that they would not have noticed before and that I would never see myself. I cannot be everywhere. The pruners now feel they are responsible, not just to the winemaker but for the long-term future of the vines. This recognition is an incredible management tool.” 

Roederer has retained S&S not just for short-term consultation and training but is collaborating with them on major long-term objectives. One of these is more uniform ripening, eventually to eliminate the enormous costs and logistical complications caused by the need to harvest in multiple passages where individual vines have been replaced over the years and each vine is therefore at a slightly different stage of maturity. Since pruning according to the flow of the sap preserves and enhances the vine’s vitality and health, the vines will also be better able to fight off disease, reducing the number of dead vines, as well as the number of necessary treatments, which is better for the workers and also saves on costs. Finally, vines that live longer give improved quality. “Right now, our vines are productive up to 50 or 60 years of age, after which their yield is too low and there are too many dead vines,” says Lécaillon. “If I can bring this up even to a 60- to 70-year average lifespan, then economically that makes a huge difference for us, especially if you add to that the improvement in the quality of the wine, since the best wines are from old vines, other things being equal.” 

Simonit has studied the traditional training systems used in Champagne, and in the light of his advice Roederer has introduced some significant changes. Taking inspiration from unusual vine specimens that he has found in old vineyards (not only Roederer’s), Simonit has adapted the traditional taille Chablis, Champagne’s training system for Chardonnay, so that the permanent wood is allowed to grow slightly elongated instead of forming a round head, as is traditional. In the old method, cuts are made all around the head, but the S&S method is for cuts to be made only on one side of the permanent wood, to preserve the flow of the sap and not create dry and dead wood in the trunk, making the vine not only healthier, which helps it live longer, but also better able to resist winter freeze, since the vine’s reserves are contained in living, not dead, dry wood. 

For Champagne’s traditional Pinot Noir training system, the cordon de Royat, Simonit, again taking inspiration from specimens found in the vineyards, has introduced a semi-permanent cordon. Traditional pruning requires the old cordon to be sawn off approximately every five years, which creates big pruning wounds that block the flow of the sap in the vine’s trunk, exposes the vine to esca, and also adversely affects the vitality of the cordon itself, because the replacement cordon requires space to form at the expense of the first few spurs of the old cordon. Since Simonit’s semi-permanent cordon lasts two and half times as long as a traditional cordon, the vine endures many fewer large cuts during its lifetime. 

Simonit’s modifications to the traditional training systems anticipate growth as the vines grow older, reducing vine stress and increasing their lifespan and health, which, Simonit believes, improves the quality of the grapes, the juice, and, consequently, the wine. “The delicate aromas and ethereal finesse sought after in Champagne do not come from stressed and suffering vines,” insists Simonit. The same applies at Domaine Ott in Provence, partly owned by Roederer, where Simonit has introduced subtle modifications to the estate’s signature palmette training system, which is similar in principle to gobelet, though with the advantage that it is trained on wires. Simonit has introduced the idea of adjusting the wire height as the vines grow, starting at 16in (40cm) and gradually moving up to 28in (70cm) as the vines mature, rather than starting the vines at 28in and then needing to saw down the arms after a few years when they grow too high. 

Marco Simonit: Seeing and doing things differently 

“Great wines are made in the vineyard,” says Nicolas Glumineau, general manager at Château Pichon Lalande. Since taking over the estate in 2007, Roederer has introduced radical changes, including paying the pruners a monthly salary rather than according to the number of vines they prune, as is the custom in the Médoc, to encourage them to prune well and take their time. Cabernet Sauvignon is naturally a grape variety that is particularly sensitive to problems related to bad or good pruning. One modification to the traditional double Guyot training system that Simonit has introduced is a spur that curbs acrotonie, which is a tendency for overlong internodes and for buds at the very end of the canes to develop first, inhibiting the growth of the buds lower down the cane. Acrotonie causes a situation that can be seen everywhere in the Médoc, where there is empty space over each trunk, while at the ends of the long canes, all the leaves and fruit from the two neighboring vines are crowded together. These circumstances increase the risk of mildew and rot, as well as hindering ripening. 

Until now, green-harvesting has been the only solution for thinning out the crowded bunches, but when yields are already perilously low, this is a waste of fruit, which in itself does not improve quality. The other problem is that eventually the canes get too long and crash into the neighboring vine and must be sawn off, creating large wounds, which block the flow of the sap and are also entry points for esca, to which Cabernet Sauvignon is particularly sensitive. Simonit attributes the prevalent pruning techniques in part to an aesthetic principle—devotion to geometry—and feels that a significant part of his job is to change the idea of what looks good. According to Glumineau, the improvement is already evident in his 2014 vintage. “These changes can be seen in the wine. There is a velvet silkiness of the tannins that comes when the seeds are perfectly ripe, but at the same time the fruit is not overripe,” he explains. “This is the kind of wine I would like to make every year.” Also, since the grapes are not crowded on top of each other, less green-harvesting is necessary, resulting in more wine. 

S&S has recently started working for Château Latour, which is endeavoring to increase yields and at the same time reduce esca, which causes the death of 5 percent of their vines every year. Unfortunately, these vine deaths are not spread evenly throughout the estate but occur disproportionately in the old vineyards. I visited Latour with Massimo Giudici, Simonit’s right-hand man, now also a partner in the business, who handles their increasing number of Bordeaux clients. We walked together through the oldest part of the Latour vineyard counting the number of old vines, and sadly those that survived had their arms sawn off. It was the middle of summer, and yellow- and brown-speckled leaves, the symptoms of esca, were clearly visible. Until recently, esca was treated with arsenic, which is now illegal. At Château Ausone in St-Emilion, another S&S client, esca causes the death of 15 percent of the vines annually in certain plots. Simonit has developed a surgical technique to treat vines affected by esca, which he compares to the way a dentist cleans out the dead and rotten material in a tooth and then fills or closes off the cavity. The process is, however, labor intensive and therefore expensive. Prevention is far better than cure. 

“Marco showed me something that was always there but that I never saw,” concludes Lécaillon. “What he teaches is the opposite of everything we learned and did before. Marco observed, he read books, and he realized that something was wrong. What Marco teaches is respect for the vines and respect for what nature gives us. You cannot just twist nature to suit your own ends. This is about respecting life.” 

The post Marco Simonit: A lesson in substance and style appeared first on World Of Fine Wine.

Robin Lee tastes the wines of Lorenzo Mocchiutti and Federica Magrini, the creative couple putting Villanova del Judrio in Friuli on the fine-wine map at Vignai da Duline.

When people get interested in wine and start learning about it, they also get interested in maps. It’s part of the learning process. Although there are different approaches to learning about wine, there is one common denominator, which is that just tasting is not enough; geography, history, and cultural traditions determine the evaluation of sensory perceptions. A precious old Madeira might be poured down the drain if you didn’t know what it is supposed to be, and the most valuable wines are sought out for their cultural significance, not just for their taste. But before sinking into a blissful apathy of self-satisfaction, contentedly stroking our diploma distinctions and twiddling our lapel pins, we must also remember that any learning process has its pitfalls, not to say failures and drawbacks. Learning instills prejudices, which are shortcuts to knowledge. We are taught that some wines are better than others, and we think we know why that is so—but the truth is a moving target that must be constantly pursued lest it escapes us.

Physical maps may seem anachronistic in the real world, but they are essential for learning about wine, for understanding the places where great wines come from and how wine interconnects with place. Since the more famous wine regions have better maps, they are better understood. When the same level of detail is both in the wines and on the maps, studying wine becomes most worthwhile. In Burgundy, the phrase les lieux-dits, “the named places,” suggests that a place that is named is special and we should therefore know about it. This is a cycle; you cannot easily know about a place unless it is on the map and it is named, and we value more what we know, just as we spend more time learning about and thinking about what we value.

Lorenzo Mocchiutti is a wine producer in Villanova del Judrio in Friuli, the easternmost region of Italy. Although it is surely one of Italy’s most important, interesting, influential, and historic wine regions, even Italian wine experts often skip over Friuli, because they do not have concrete expectations of its wines or know what they are supposed to be like. There are very few wine experts who can locate Villanova del Judrio on a map. The Judrio, or Judri in Friuli dialect, is a river originating on the Kolovrat Plain marking the border between Italy and Slovenia, where it is known as Idrija. Historically, it defined the border between Venice and the Habsburg Empire and, later, between Italy and Yugoslavia. The name of Lorenzo Mocchiutti and Federica Magrini’s estate, Vignai da Duline, comes from dolina, which in Friuli dialect is a valley—in this case, the riverbank of the Judrio. 

Friuli was one of the richest, most strategically located provinces of the Roman Empire. Later, it became Venetian territory, and then it was ceded to the Austrians. Historically, its viticulture has been influenced by France, thanks to the close relationship between the French and the Habsburgs, but nevertheless Friuli as a wine region is complicated and hard to comprehend, partly because we cannot picture it. In response to this challenge, Mocchiutti has taken it upon himself to produce a new and original map of the entire Friuli wine region, to put his life’s work in context. Mocchiutti’s “winescape” is for Friuli’s lieux-dits like the magic portal to the wine world. 

Together with his partner, Federica Magrini, Mocchiutti manages Vignai da Duline and has worked tirelessly toward inventing a pragmatic system of viticulture and of mixed cultivation that is informed by a poetic philosophy of wines that not only literally but also figuratively has as its ultimate goal to put Friuli wines on the map. Over the past few decades, Friuli has become famous for so-called orange wines that look to the past for inspiration—and in particular, back to new-old grape varieties and new-old winemaking techniques that are derived neither from France nor from enological institutions. These innovations have influenced all of Italy to such an extent that other, older, different traditions and traces of history are difficult to discern or understand in any context. At Vignai da Duline, Mocchiutti and Magrini have stepped back from the natural-wine debates and focused their efforts on the vineyard, especially the preservation of their vines, some of which are more than 100 years old, and on creating wines that are stable from the outset and therefore do not require further interventions. 

Agropunk and permaculture

Mocchiutti and Magrini both come from wine-producing families but found each other along a different path. Mocchiutti, the liberated anarchist-libertarian, founded a rock band, Arbe Garbe, when he was 18 and played bass guitar. The band had a political mission, encouraging the struggle against industrialization and preaching self-sufficiency. Mocchiutti studied medicine, Magrini literature. Attracted by the New Age movement, Magrini became vegetarian, and although she studied biodynamics as part of a deconstruction of the nutritional and food-production system, she was more inspired by a radical political agenda. Biodynamics was unacceptable to her as a vegetarian, and she and Mocchiutti lean more toward the teachings of Fukuoka, the pioneer of permaculture.

“Wine was one of many things for us, and not by any means the most important one,” Mocchiutti explains. “At that time, we were living on a spark of enthusiasm for everything. We thought about rural revival as a political project; the belief in a strong social and ecological ethos, with a focus on sharing. It was also a cultural project. We would go around barns looking for old pieces of farming equipment, trying to put them back to good use.” The Rural Information and Correspondence (RIC) movement was formed in 1997, with the objective of bringing the rural experience to a wider audience and dedicated to the experiment of mutual reliance, barter, and the conservation and exchange of ancient seeds. Helped by their friend, botanist Marco Valečič, they coined the term agropunk, in “an attempt to define the indefinable thing we were aiming to be.”

But Magrini and Mocchiutti were still just a literature professor and a medical student. How could Mocchiutti’s grandfather ever have fathomed that they wanted to be farmers? Nonno had done it out of necessity. He had never believed in it. Mocchiutti and his grandfather had 60 years between them, but their strife came from something else: different values. Thinking, imagining, and planning for wines that would be of outstanding quality but made honestly, with no help from consultants and without “makeup”—for Mocchiutti and Magrini, this was the basis, a necessity; and for Nonno, incomprehensible. As Mocchiutti explains, “At that time, the issue was even more contentious because of the bad reputation of organic wine, which rejects even the smallest corrections to a wine and seems captured by an aversion to gustatory quality. Organic wine must be salubrious, for sure, but unpleasant, if not outright faulty, much the same as with so-called natural wine: excessive oxidation with aromas of rotten apple, or reduction with its hallmark rotten-egg aroma.” Nevertheless, in 1997 Mocchiutti and Magrini became vignerons, the occasion marked by an IVA (VAT) registration in the name Vignai da Duline.

Discovering and sculpting terroir

Duline is the vineyard of Mocchiutti’s grandfather on his maternal side. In 1920, great-grandfather Giuseppe Pizzamiglio, known as Beppo for short, had bought the Duline plot, just outside the town of Villanova del Judrio, between Udine and Gorizia. There were already a few rows of vines, one of which, dating from 1908, is still there. Beppo planted Tocai Friulano and Merlot in 1920, the historic nucleus of the vineyard, and in 1936 and 1943 he planted more Tocai Friulano with, as was customary at the time, a few intermingled vines of Malvasia and Verduzzo that are all still in production today. In 1943, Beppo added one more row to close off the vineyard. It consists of mulberry bushes intermarried with grapevines, which goes all around the vineyard like a French clos. In 1978, an EEC regulation was passed to authorize Schioppettino, Pignolo, Tezzelenghe, and Ribolla Gialla in Udine. Before then, these wines were nothing more than rosso and bianco. Nonno planted his first Schioppettino in 1977, and it is a big source of pride for Duline that those original vines are also still there, in full vitality and productivity.

In the early days of his work in the vineyard, Mocchiutti identified more than 20 grape varieties, each with multiple biotypes, and he microvinified each of the varieties even where there were only a handful of vines planted: Ribolla, Tazzelenghe, Franconia, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon. Even when it was just one single vine, the grapes were harvested and vinified separately. It was an immense amount of work, but necessary: “The microvinifications revealed that some wines were good every year, others every three years, others every five years. They became my measure of the terroir. They showed me what to pursue. I took out some vines, but very few. I have never uprooted an entire row. Instead, I did a sculpting and a sewing-up job, vine by vine. I kept a few uncommercial varieties for my own interest, such as Ua di Sant’Jacum, an early-ripening, delicious table variety.”

Mocchiutti was fortunate, because the vineyards he inherited from Nonno had avoided the destruction suffered by so many others in the area from ruinous chemicals and technical equipment that had, at the time, seemed like a liberation from the drudgery of hard work, from the vagaries of weather, and from parasites—but that led to the decimation of soil fertility, genetic material, and the legacy of agricultural skills that is preserved in old vineyards. The reason that Duline’s vines were saved from this destruction was because Nonno had always been wary of the costs involved. Over decades, the agricultural salesforce had beat the pavement night and day to sell him phytosanitary products, machines, and herbicides, but Nonno would always look at them suspiciously and say, “It costs less to do it by hand.” For this simple reason, and not out of any love of tradition or sentimental longings for the past, Duline is one of the few vineyards that has never been exposed to herbicide. Thankfully, Nonno was extremely stingy.

Working to restore the old vines they inherited, and expanding into Ronco Pitotti through a musical connection they shared with the son of its owners, Mocchiutti and Magrini have, over time, come to understand the interconnection of the vine with the surrounding nature and have pursued the highest quality in wine through an approach to agriculture that is emancipated from any ties with synthetic products, which turn a wine estate, in Mocchiutti’s phrase, into “a mechanic’s shop.” Mocchiutti raises alfalfa as a soil fertilizer—which he refers to as his “green cow”—and cultivates bees as a proactive anti-botrytis treatment, as well as wasps and hornets for beneficial yeasts. At Vignai da Duline there is balance with nature, something that eludes the most famous wine regions, since where there is a grapevine monoculture, there cannot be true balance with nature.

In 1997, Mocchiutti and Magrini converted an entryway to the cellar into a tasting room. This simple, small, welcoming area, a fixed point, is considered a place of transmutation and of tempering with judgment and critical appraisal, before a wine is released. The bottles will travel the world alone, but the winemaker’s story, the opinion of the taster, and the inherent quality of the wine are first and irrefutably foremost. And for anyone who wants to learn about the benchmark wines of Friuli and to understand them, the answers are to be found here rather than in any textbooks. Fortunately, there is now Lorenzo Mocchiutti’s beautiful new map to guide us on our way. 

Tasting Vignai da Duline

Duline Friulano 2018

Centenarian vines planted in 1920, and some from 1936, offer up a complex palate of nectarine, fresh apricot, and green almond, with a sprightly acidity that is remarkable for such a warm vintage. The fruit is crystalline and pure, attesting to the perfect maturity and health of the grapes from these low-yielding vines. The clarity and freshness of the wine carries through into a saline finish. 2023–35. 93

Duline Pitotti Chardonnay 2016

This Chardonnay from 45-year-old vines is layered and rich, with a peachy-strawberry character ranging from snowy-white, through to the most delicately pink. The bouquet is enhanced by a hint of spicy white pepper and a satisfying, waxy, full-bodied texture balanced with the zest of cool-climate lemons and white peach again on the finish. 2023–33. 92

Morus Alba [White Mulberry] 2018

This proprietary blend of old-vine Malvasia Istriana and Sauvignon Blanc is named for a row of vines trained on living mulberry bushes that surrounds the old vineyard, planted by Mocchiutti’s grandfather in 1943. The intriguing nose suggests ripe pear and golden apple, with fresh-mown alfalfa, wild mint, and chamomile. This is a happy marriage of two grape varieties grown for almost half a century together in the same vineyard, in harmony with wildflowers, beneficial insects, and fruit trees. The wine is quite low in acid but nevertheless well balanced with a freshness that rises to the weight and texture. 2023–28. 91

Ronco Pitotti Sauvignon Storico Friulano 2016

From old vines planted in 1979, this has been made as a varietal wine only in the excellent 2016 and 2019 vintages. Pale color. The nose unfolds with lily-of-the-valley, green apple, and white asparagus, showing Old World restraint. The wine is youthful and light on its feet, giving an innate verve and vibrancy. The structure is tight and restrained, with a refined and delicate floral tone on the long, tempered finish. 2023–28. 91

Giallodi Tocai Selezione 2018 (magnum)

A selection from 900 vines of the rare yellow-skinned Friulano clone that Mocchiutti rescued from the original scions. This wine beams with an inner glow of acacia honey and a warm spiciness of ginger and turmeric. Roasted pineapple, walnut skin, and bracing hints of a sour-brewed kombucha, with a rich but taut texture, suggest this exceptional Friulano is capable of long aging, though it already delivers outstanding power and complexity. 2023–35. 94

Ronco Pitotti Pinot Noir 2018

These vines were planted in 1940 and 1980, but the first vintage vinified by Vignai da Duline was not until 2009, after several years spent restoring these old vines nestled in a sheltered nook within the contours of this locally famous grape amphitheater. Opening with ripe raspberries, deeper notes emerge of tar, musk, and pine needles. The alcohol is decidedly low, at 12.5%, and there is an interesting umami note of sun-dried seaweed that creeps in on the edges of the palate, along with ferrous rust and blood. This complex wine is a fine example of Italian Pinot Noir, which can surely hold its own against internationally acclaimed rivals. 2023–38. 92

Morus Nigra [Black Mulberry] 2016

The signature red wine of Vignai da Duline, Morus Nigra is, like its white counterpart, named for the mulberry vineyard planted in 1943. This is deep, dark, and robust, with a Black Forest gâteau richness laced with dark mulberries, ripe purple plums, and sweet damson. The acidity stands firm against an elegant and sturdy tannic framework. The long, persistent finish lingers, with aromas of violet and hints of anise. 2023–38. 93

Ronco Pitotti Pinot Grigio 2012–21

Ronco Pitotti Pinot Grigio 2021

From mature 65- and 40-year-old vines planted in 1958 and 1984. The name of the wine is Pinot Grigio, but the character is more akin to Alsace Pinot Gris. As is common in Alsace (but not in Italy), the Duline whites all undergo full malolactic fermentation, which makes them stable, with no need for filtering, and gives an integrated acidity that evolves with the wine. This has a fine, creamy texture, with concentrated dry extract and beguiling aromas of lily-of-the-valley, ripe yellow pears, cinnamon spice, and warm tennis clay with toasted Brazil nuts. Full and rich, with a crystal-clear purity and freshness that gives way to a lingering smoky haze of barbecued honey. 2023–35. 93

Ronco Pitotti Pinot Grigio 2019

An intense nose, an exotic lily-spice note lifting yellow plums and ripe pears, and a sweeter note of sugar-coated almonds and praline. Finishes long and pure, with hints of litchi and coconut water. 2023–35. 91

Ronco Pitotti Pinot Grigio 2018

Shimmers and shines with a pale-lemon color. Soft aromas of white peony tea and orange blossom entice, with a silky texture of lemon curd. This balances floral and fruit flavors of litchi and golden apple with a solid structure, finishing perfectly dry and satisfyingly full-bodied at 13% ABV. 2023–28. 90

Ronco Pitotti Pinot Grigio 2016

Delicate, exotic candied guava, rosehip jelly, and basil essential oil, with a touch of burned rosemary on the finish. The creamy texture is like almond butter and baked yellow summer squash, flavorsome and rich. 2023–30. 90

Ronco Pitotti Pinot Grigio 2012

Deep gold, with copper glints verging toward the palest of Provence rosé, this mature wine has an unusual bouquet of rosewater and eau-
de-cologne, evolving with savory/spicy hints of fresh tarragon, cinnamon, and cardamom spice, and a waxy texture like white melon. Drink up. 91

Malvasia Istriana Chioma Integrale 2015–20

Malvasia Istriana Chioma Integrale 2020

From vines planted in 1960 and 2005, this cuvée is named after the practice that Duline uses on all its vineyards, where the vines are allowed to grow to their natural length, in keeping with Fukuoka principles of permaculture, without hedging or topping (thus chioma integrale, which means natural canopy). This wine has a green but nevertheless ripe character of ripe kiwi and young parsley, with a savory, saline element of lamb’s lettuce, green walnut, and celery, and notes of sassafras and spicy green peppercorns illuminating the finish. 2023–28. 92

Malvasia Istriana Chioma Integrale 2019

Pale green glints to the gold seem to reflect the tart Bramley apple and salty samphire on the nose. Fresh as a sea breeze, but also indulgent and creamy on the palate, bergamot crème brûlée and burned peaches giving way to a long finish that is refreshing and refined, with watermelon rind and lime macaroon. 2023–28. 93

Malvasia Istriana Chioma Integrale 2018

This wine has ripe, rich fruit that bursts on the palate intensely yellow and green. A sapid spectrum of pineapple, passion fruit, and sweet yellow peach is underlined by a smoky minerality and tones of cigar ash. Stylish, uninhibited, rococo, this wine finishes as zesty as it is luxurious, but also with a refreshing crystal-clear quality. 2023–30. 92

Malvasia Istriana Chioma Integrale 2016

Somewhat closed at first, the 2016 gradually emerges with green apple and gooseberry, and then with sweet and grassy aromas of green peas, asparagus, and clover that gradually unfold. The palate has a heavy layer of beeswax with apple blossom and meadow flowers carrying through to the finish. Drink up. 91

Malvasia Istriana Chioma Integrale 2015

The nose is complex, with white tea, white melon, and green cucumber heralding a waxy-textured palate with notes of guava and fava bean making for an engaging counterpoint between white fruit and herbaceous tertiary aromas. Drink up. 90

Duline Schioppettino 2016–20

Duline Schioppettino 2020

Deep ruby with a vibrant nose that evokes black pepper, gunpowder tea, and matcha. The tannins are soft but present, and there are enticing floral aromas of lily and violet. The spicy and long finish is like a highly enjoyable and lingering peppery embrace from back in the old days. 2023–30. 91

Duline Schioppettino 2019

Fresh raspberry and blueberry dominate the nose, with the sweetness of old-fashioned chewy black bread. On the palate, the wine is structured, bold, and vivacious. The finish is long, with iodine notes, Sardinian myrtle, and roasting juices persisting on the palate. 2023–30. 93

Duline Schioppettino 2018

Dark in color, with bright ruby reflections, this Schioppettino comes from vines planted in 1977, when the variety was officially revived, with some additional plantings added in 2005. Despite its deep color, Schioppettino is a light-bodied and easygoing red wine, this one rich in flavor with dark blackcurrant and blackberry. The acidity is high, and there is some tertiary, old, polished mahogany—seasoned small casks are used for the aging. After some breathing time in the glass, the wine unfurls hints of chocolate and jujube as the initial tartness gives way to a smoky finish. 2023–30. 91

Duline Schioppettino 2016

A hint of brick color on the rim of the glass betrays its age, but this wine is still resilient and flavorsome, with earthy cherry liqueur, mushroom ketchup, and stewed beetroot. There is a tinge of warmth and a faded smooth-satin mouthfeel rustically perfumed with rosehip and lavender. The long finish reveals other intriguing notes of cherry cola and smoked hickory. Drink up. 92 

Ronco Pitotti il Merlot 2015–19

From 1920 and 1999 plantings of the rare Merlot rouge red-stemmed biotype, matured in small seasoned casks. Approximately 500 magnums produced in most vintages.

Ronco Pitotti Il Merlot 2019 (magnum)

Imported here during Habsburg times, first planted at Ronco Pitotti in 1920, this historic Merlot is one of a kind. There is blackcurrant, mulberry, mint, and a vivacious richness reflected in the brilliant and deep ruby-black color. Classically proportioned, with a medium body, graceful and harmonious, with impressive length, this is an outstanding Merlot. The penetrating fragrance evokes cedar, chestnuts, earth minerals, and wild plums. Powerful, dense, and elegantly structured, with a judicious extraction of healthy fruit, this wine has immense potential, but patience is needed. 2028–50. 95

Ronco Pitotti Il Merlot 2018 (magnum)

A classic vintage of this wine, the 2018 is light and elegant, yet intense. It is almost diaphanous in its weightlessness, with an opaque magenta color that heralds a complex bouquet of Sachertorte and radicchio. Medium-bodied, with fine-textured tannins and a long, flavorsome finish that is all sweetness and harmony, this is a beautiful example of what Merlot should be. 2023–33. 92

Ronco Pitotti Il Merlot 2016 (magnum)

The 2016 vintage is a rich and balanced example that is worthy to stand alongside any of the great wines made from this noble and frequently undervalued variety. This sensational wine has a dense ruby color to the rim and a luxurious bouquet of cedarwood, cypress, cocoa, and blueberry. Silky textured, with a low acidity and gliding, firm tannins that are stunningly seductive, an unfolding complexity indicates that this deep and vibrant wine is destined to impress for many years to come. The 2016 is just coming into maturity and should continue to gracefully age. 2028–50. 96

Ronco Pitotti Il Merlot 2015 (magnum)

This beautiful, dense, garnet-colored production from a drought-ridden, low-yielding vintage offers up tantalizingly opulent notes of plum, black cherries, scorched earth, and oriental spice. Medium-bodied, with saturated and darkly rich cherry fruit, mild but refreshing acidity, and sweet, fine-grained tannins, this is a beauty that is more approachable than the 2016 and yet should continue to improve for at least a decade. 2023–40. 94

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Robin Lee meets the boyishly enthusiastic Tuscan winemaker Bibi Graetz as he shows off his new “grown-up toys”: the Balocchi di Colore limited-edition cuvées.

It is early spring in Fiesole. Pale pink roses cascade over crumbling masonry, and the soft fragrance wafts over the worn paving stones once trodden by EM Foster’s prim heroines. This faded and genteel enclave has always attracted artists, aesthetes, and intellectuals, as well as royalty and wealthy expatriates. Sitting on the terrace of the Bibi Graetz Winery in the center of this perfect little town—miraculously unblemished by modern tourism, bustling with locals and a quaint, old-fashioned charm—it is easy to see why. 

Bibi Graetz makes it all look so easy. He arrives in faded jeans and an old gray sweater with rolled-up sleeves. He is a bit late but not ostentatiously so. He is informal, relaxed, boyish, unshowy. He walks and talks at an easy pace, but with a barely contained energy and a sense of purpose that could be intimidating. Graetz is proud of what he has achieved, and the more one learns about what he is doing and what he has accomplished, the easier it is to see why.

I had met Graetz for the first time a few months previously in London at the launch of Balocchi di Colore, his new limited-edition cuvées produced in tiny quantities (900 cases) from old vines of Sangiovese and two of the more unusual, lesser-known indigenous varieties, Canaiolo and Colorino, which once played a supporting role in the traditional, much-maligned Chianti blend but are rarely, if ever, found as standalone wines. The grapes are sourced from old vines in the best plots of Graetz’s vineyards in Olmo and Vincigliata in the little-known and surprisingly remote hillsides around Fiesole, just a half-hour drive from the center of Florence. 

Balocchi in Italian means “toys,” but it also means “mischief.” In Collodi’s Pinocchio, the place where boys get turned into donkeys is the paese dei balocchi—“the land of toys (and mischief).” I liked the Balocchi wines when I tried them, but I also found them surprising. Graetz’s Balocchi di Colore, like the best toys, teach you something useful while you play with them. They are intended as an outlet for his creativity. Like old toys, the most loved toys, Graetz’s Balocchi di Colore are beautifully constructed, impressive in their simplicity, thought-provoking, and all-engaging. They attract your full attention and hold it. In another respect, the Balocchi di Colore are like abandoned toys, the “childish things” that are set aside when the boy becomes a man; the Canaiolo and Colorino were planted by Graetz’s father in the 1970s and were key elements in Bibi Graetz’s first wines but have been abandoned, now that Graetz’s style has changed to a focus on purity and simplicity. Since 2018, Graetz’s top wines are 100 percent Sangiovese rather than blends. 

Balocchi di Colore are conceived as playful, uninhibited companions to Graetz’s iconic Colore, the top wine of his still-boutique-scale production. Colore is a 100 percent Sangiovese selection from the best parcels. It is also the epitome of what is known as a Super-Tuscan—an elite, aspirational, luxury wine that is classic but modern, innovative but also reassuringly familiar, and somewhat experimental, even if the guiding principle in this case is purity of expression rather than evident oak aging and imported French grape varieties. When Graetz started out as a winemaker, he aimed for concentration, but his style has evolved, and now he looks for just the opposite: lightness and transparency. This is not only a departure from his past but also not what most people expect from an expensive and “important” Tuscan red wine. Graetz’s wines are light, transparent, and airy, which might make some people think they are not getting their money’s worth.

To be sure, there are some vocal critics who have expressed dismay over Graetz’s ambitious pricing strategy, even though gravity-defying prices are to some extent an inherent characteristic of the Super-Tuscan genre. But while these wines are certainly not a bargain, I would argue that, for wines like this, a high price can be, paradoxically, indicative of a certain kind of idealism and is, as such, part of what defines the wine. Partly a challenge to received wisdom, partly a psychological device, the high price acts as a mechanism that decisively places this—who knows what it is?—
on a pedestal where it can be properly admired—or, conversely, condemned.

Kind of perfect—and provocative

Graetz’s unconventional distribution, exclusively through the Place de Bordeaux, as well as his gorgeous, extravagantly luxurious packaging, also elevates these naughty toys from something mundane that can be kicked around, ignored, or possibly tripped over accidentally, to something that must be remarked upon. Is this wine like a precocious child’s drawing in an expensive frame? Or is this the work of a great master?

If it seems too naive, overly transparent, frustratingly uncomplicated, and almost too simple, maybe that is the point. Simplicity in a positive sense is neither easy nor cheap to achieve. Could just anyone make a wine like this? I would say no; it is unique, quite different from any other wine. And not only is there nothing quite like it, it’s also kind of perfect. It’s certainly thought-provoking. And the other important question is, Why should a wine like this not be expensive, if this is what many people really want? In Italy especially, there are many wine consumers who seek out simple, “natural” wines that do not have the layered complexity, the concentration, the ageability, or the depth associated with expensive wines. The Balocchi di Colore wines are clean, they are not faulty, and they are made like wines were “back in the good old days.” What is it that determines the price of a wine anyway? And if you think the price of these toys might just be a bit of mischief, that is what you would expect anyway in the paese dei balocchi.

Starting from this vintage, Graetz also has a new winery where the Colore series—and his other famous cuvée, the even lighter-bodied Testamatta—is now produced. The new winery is right in the center of Fiesole, inside the former Hotel Aurora, where Queen Victoria once sojourned, another part of which was formerly a groovy ’70s discotheque, Bar Blu. The grapes are from Graetz’s original Vincigliata vineyards and from new, splendid, higher-altitude vineyards in Olmo (at an altitude of 1,475ft [450m])—which might seem worlds away from the typical vineyard landscape of Tuscany, were it not for their stunning views of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, otherwise known as the Florence Duomo. 

The Florentine winemaking families that have lived for centuries with these undervalued vineyards on their doorstep have never given them a second thought, for this is the “wrong” side of Florence, and traditionally not considered to be great wine terroir, which might be why Graetz has managed to snap up 90ha (222 acres) of these beautiful vineyards, some with vines more than 100 years old. This land—which he purchased during the Covid crisis, when bigger, more bureaucratic companies were in isolation mode and smarting from the painful and sudden collapse of the restaurant and tourist trade—has changed Graetz from being a winemaker with small vineyard holdings who mostly bought in grapes, to an established vigneron. After many years waiting for this moment, he is ready for the challenge. No wonder Graetz is beaming like a child on Christmas morning.

Bursting with energy and fun

A few weeks later, I visited Graetz’s other project, his white-wine vineyards for Colore Bianco and Testamatta Bianco on the island of Giglio in the Tuscan archipelago. It is a short, easy ferry ride from the mainland to the charming port and then up the steep hillside to be amazed by the precipitous, breathtaking vistas of the jewel-blue horizon, hills covered in wild yellow broom, and Graetz’s immaculate terraced vineyards cascading down into the glittering sea. As with his reds, Graetz is not aiming to reduce yield—he is trying to increase it, to bring added freshness to the wines. Graetz spent his childhood summers on Giglio barefoot on the donkey trails, which then still had donkeys on them, and he has captured his old memories with his spectacular Colore Bianco, one of the finest white wines from anywhere in Italy, made with the local grape variety Ansonica (which is called Inzolia in Sicily).

Giglio is a wine island with a long tradition. Almost all the inhabitants still make wine for their own home consumption, which is rare in Italy today, and around 30 producers make wine commercially on a small scale to sell on the local market, which is mainly Italian tourists on their summer holidays. Grown in the ancient way, gobelet, on ancient terraces, the most interesting old Ansonica vineyards are on steep, rocky, almost inaccessible hillsides. These are being painstakingly restored by Graetz, with the help of his brother Ilan, an engineer, who used to design racing sailboats until he came back to help his brother restore Giglio’s ancient terraces, where slaves once produced precious golden wine to be shipped back to Rome. To see these vineyards is to glimpse a long history, and the wine is a revelation that profoundly expresses its origins. As a cultural companion to this idealistic enterprise, Graetz has also taken over Giglio’s best bar in the old castle town at the top of the island, the place where the locals used to hang out when he was a kid. He has transformed it into a showroom for all his wines, including a special blend of four local varieties that he makes only for Giglio and sells at the bar for €2 a glass, along with refreshing spritzes made from Graetz’s own grape juice and his own Sangiovese fizz.

Bibi Graetz has long been considered one of Tuscany’s most ambitious, creative, and interesting wine producers, and his wines have always found an enthusiastic audience. Despite all his successes, however, he has always seemed somehow out of time and out of place. He seems now, though, to have come into his own. The new grown-up toys are made with a sense of purpose and command, and Graetz, who has put a lot of work into getting where he is today, is now emerging as an innovator and creative opinion-maker, showing us how things should be instead of just how they are. In so doing, Graetz makes wines that end up being terribly serious, even though they are supposed not to be. And yet, even though they might be inexplicably profound, nostalgic, and thought-provoking, what really makes these wines so compelling, so memorable, and so incredibly desirable, is that they are infused with pure joy. Although they are simply crafted according to classic, authentic principles, they are nevertheless bursting with crazy bright color and energy and fun. When you open a Bibi Graetz wine, you will want to invite over your friends and stay up all night with them. It would be the perfect holiday, like back in the old days. 

Tasting the wines of Bibi Graetz

2021 Testamatta Bianco

Only 1,000 bottles produced from Vigna Serrone on the Tuscan island of Giglio. This wine shines with pale-lemon reflections and a refreshing aroma of mint, sweet basil, cantaloupe melon, lemon and lime curd, and peach blossom. There is no maceration at all; the grapes are chilled and fermented in stainless steel, giving bright, citrus sensations that are weighted down by Ansonica’s own earthiness, hints of church-candle wax, heady fig leaf, oily saline tones of pumpkin seeds, and a bitterness like fresh green almonds picked from the tree. Ansonica has a low acidity, but you would never know it from this wine, which has a phenomenal freshness and a lithe structure. This is a tremendously drinkable wine, with a great future ahead. A touch of green peppercorn gives spicy freshness to the finish, with vivid refrains of green almonds and melon rind. 2023–28. 95

2021 Colore Bianco

This Ansonica from the island of Giglio is instantly recognizable as a modern classic, albeit from 100-year-old vines on a terroir with a 2,000-year track record. Golden reflections with sunflower and warm hay aromas lead into a complex, underlying fugue of waxed floors and quinine. Colore Bianco is macerated for between five and six hours, then fermented and aged in seasoned barriques. On the palate, it is a gorgeous summer bouquet of musky marigold and creamy yellow roses and zucchini flowers, dried yarrow, propolis, yellow peaches, and white nectarines. Caramelized orange peel persists on the bone-dry palate, rounding off with a wholesome sweetness that one almost never finds in a dry white wine. An immense, full-bodied, complex, and concentrated dry white, with a graceful finish so bafflingly long that when you exhale several minutes after taking a sip you are still haunted by lingering bees’ nectar and linseed. A masterpiece. It improves after hours in the decanter or days in an opened bottle and can be drunk now or will improve with cellaring 2023–31. 98

2020 Testamatta

A light garnet color ushers in aromas of griotte cherry, saffron, piquant clove, and hedgerow blackberry. The palate is linear, delivering concentration through a delicate tannic structure that is light and subtle yet robust: as awe-inspiring as a spider’s web covered in dew. Aromas of candied cherry persist on the palate and are complemented by lily and sea buckthorn. This impressive but fresh-faced wine has a finish that is as long as it is bewitching and naturalistic, with humble wild sloe and the crunchy rustic sensation of blackberry seeds beckoning you back for more. 2023–30. 94+

2020 Colore

Transparent bright garnet in color, and even better defined, light, and sophisticated than its sibling Testamatta, the 2020 Colore unfolds with generous layers of cloudberry, spicy camphor, oud, and patchouli, with a rush of pomegranate freshness and the scent and consistency of firm persimmon. The tannic texture is like the fine, hard dust on a hot road. This is a splendid wine with a long future ahead, pure in its conception and executed with elegance, precision, and panache. A long, unwinding finish transports you far away, like a cypress-lined avenue leading you toward a cloudless horizon. 2023–35. 95+ 

2020 Balocchi di Colore No.1

Made from 50-year-old Sangiovese vines at Vincigliata, Graetz’s family estate and childhood home where he first experimented with making wine, the Balocchi No.1 has a transparent, gray-tinged garnet color and aromas that are direct and primary, with cool notes of blueberry and greengage. Medium- to light-bodied, the palate gives way with a vivacious kick of acidity, backed up by curiously one-dimensional sour cherry and pomegranate. The finish is decidedly refined if not long, with earthy notes of Impruneta clay and blond tobacco. 2023–33. 91

2020 Balocchi di Colore No.3 

Also sourced from 50-year-old vines at Vincigliata, this unusual and surprising Colorino wine is deep purplish ruby and inky in the glass, with hints of violet and mulberry. Surprisingly light-bodied for the dark color, the wine has light tannins with the texture of coffee grounds, then the finish offers grown-up flavors such as walnut, artichoke heart, and stout. 2023–28. 91

2020 Balocchi di Colore No.8

Made from relatively young 25- to 50-year-old vines and sourced from the Olmo vineyard at 1,475ft (450m), the Canaiolo is a showstopper and a revelation. Garnet-hued, with vivid raspberry, pomegranate, and hedgerow blackberry, this wine has a riveting and vibrant acidity, which upholds an elegant, bespoke-tailored structure. The palate yields subdued notes of sandalwood and rosehip, with a long, fragrant, and impressive finish characterized by spicy sweet cardamom and murmurs of elusive peony. 2023–33. 93

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Its varietal make-up may be unfashionable amid the contemporary fixation on local grapes. But Tenuta San Leonardo’s Cabernet and Carmenère-led Trentino red is without question one of Italy’s finest wines.

Not far from the limpid waters of Lake Garda in the northeast of Italy, the 300ha (750-acre) Tenuta San Leonardo shelters at the foothills of the Dolomites. The San Leonardo estate has a history that stretches back more than 1,000 years. It is traversed by the ancient Via Claudio Augusta that once brought Roman legions back to the valley of the Po from the rich provinces of Rhaetia. Along this road there can still be seen an ancient, gnarled chestnut tree that, according to legend, provided shelter for the devout and beautiful 6th-century Lombard queen Theodalinda on her way to be married to King Autari in the monastery that has since become San Leonardo.

More recently, what is now the autonomous province of Trentino was the southernmost rim of the Austrian Tyrol until it was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy in 1919. In the 19th century, San Leonardo, then known as Château St Leonard, produced award-winning Riesling and “Borgogna” wines for the Habsburg Austrians. During World War I, the Liberty-style villa was bombed just half an hour after the family escaped. After the war, which decimated the population, the present owner’s grandmother, Gemma de Gresti, devoted her life to the search for lost soldiers and to bringing them back to their families. During World War II, the family had to leave San Leonardo again when the Germans set up barracks that were later occupied by the Italians and then by the British.

The present owner of Tenuta San Leonardo, Marchese Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga, inherited the estate from his father, Anselmo, in 1974. Now the next generation, represented by Carlo’s son—also named Anselmo after his grandfather—is taking over, but Anselmo credits his father, Carlo, with having invented the modern San Leonardo wine, which was launched in 1982. Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga trained as an enologist in Lausanne, an unusual career decision at the time. Upon graduating in 1962, however, Carlo learned that his father had just hired another enologist a year younger than he was to run the family estate. Carlo therefore became an independent wine consultant in Tuscany and worked for five years for his grandfather’s friend, Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, the creator of Sassicaia, before changing professions to join his brother in the far more profitable cement business.

Working with Mario Incisa instilled in Carlo a passion for the wines of Bordeaux, the region that for his generation was the epitome of French wine and the manifest progenitor of fine wine. When Carlo took over the San Leonardo estate after his father’s death in 1974, he planted Cabernet Sauvignon and, with the assistance of Sassicaia’s renowned consultant enologist Giacomo Tachis, set out to create his own Cabernet-dominated (around 60 percent) blend. There was a difference, however. Trentino, thanks to the Habsburg Austrians, already had a long tradition of growing French grape varieties, which had been introduced at San Leonardo in the 19th century.

In particular, there were historic plantings of Cabernet Franc dating back to the 1870s. This historic Cabernet Franc became the secondary component (around 30 percent) of San Leonardo, creating a blend that would have been closer to the Right Bank of Bordeaux than the Left. What Carlo did not realize until the late 1990s, however, was that what the family had always believed to be Cabernet Franc was in fact Carmenère. It was only when he wanted to increase the plantings of Cabernet Franc and ordered new vine material directly from France that Carlo saw the difference and realized the mistaken identity.

The dazzling success of Super-Tuscans, and Sassicaia in particular, has legitimized Bordeaux varieties in Italy. By now, Tuscany is recognized to be as much a Cabernet Sauvignon terroir as Napa or Stellenbosch. This success, however, has had a polarizing effect, and there has been what one might call a kind of “counter-reformation” in favor of Italy’s indigenous, local varieties. The zealous fervor of this quasi-religious re-reappraisal has obscured all else that might contextualize Italian wines, and in particular the presence of French grape varieties on the Italian peninsula long before Bolgheri became famous for wine.

There is now a common disdain for French grape varieties based on the mistaken assumption that, except in some favored parts of Tuscany, only Italy’s so-called local varieties are legitimate. Historic vineyards and old vines are swept aside by the craze for the newly fashionable local varieties, even in places where they may have never existed before. When Anselmo, Carlo’s son, started working for his father a decade ago, he noticed this trend and thought it might make their wine more popular if they added a small proportion of the local Teroldego to the blend. When he suggested this to his father, he was met with a stony silence and told to “go back to the office.” The idea was never raised again.

Safeguarding a unique identity

San Leonardo is one of Italy’s great wines. The discovery that the original Cabernet Franc was actually Carmenère not only explains why the vineyards turn a deep carmine hue every fall but also elucidates the innate character of the wine, with its marked smoky paprika and green-olive notes, and the highly structured tannins, which have an almost military rigidity that is miles away from the hedonistic Bordeaux blends of Tuscany. The flavors of Carmenère seem impossible to miss now that we know what it is, which (to the chagrin of blind tasters) is often the case with wine.

Anselmo is focused now on reinforcing the identity of San Leonardo by reintroducing the pergola system, which was being phased out by his father but is not only traditional in the region but also helps keep alcohol levels down, preserving in the wines their admirable Old World balance and restraint and even a hint of resinous greenness that was once, but is no longer, an attribute of classic Bordeaux. The challenge for a great estate like this is to stay authentic and individual, rather than becoming too standardized as production rises and it seeks wider distribution. 

Anselmo is reinforcing the Carmenère identity by carrying out proprietary vine selections propagated for him by a local nursery. This kind of highly detailed, laborious, and costly attention to detail, which until recently would never have been contemplated by a small estate in Italy, is an example of how the next generation is prioritizing quality and is determined to preserve and reinforce the estate’s unique identity and history—in this case, with the salvage of old clonal material that is now treasured as a precious relic of an older, very different “Bordeaux” that is no longer to be found at all widely in Bordeaux itself.

Wine is always a phenomenon precariously balanced between the past, the future, and the present. The past is its history. The future is how it develops in the bottle and how it will be remembered. The present is the most unpredictable variable of all. It is the moment when the bottle is opened and subjected to the unpredictable influence of inner moods, external emotions, and whatever’s on the menu. San Leonardo is the leading estate of its region and one of the most admired in Italy. Not by chance was it the wine served at the glittering high-society Circolo della Caccia ball in Rome in 2022.

In the USA and UK, however, it is known only to a few avid collectors. At a tasting at Trivet restaurant in London in October 2022, Berkmann Wine Cellars announced that it was taking over the distribution of San Leonardo in the UK. The time is long overdue for this great insider’s secret to move out of the shadows and into the sunny uplands. What was evident at the Berkmann tasting was that San Leonardo has come of age and should now be recognized by all serious collectors as one of Italy’s classics, as well as a wine that ages gracefully over the long term.

The Berkmann tasting left no doubt in anyone’s mind that San Leonardo is well worth seeking out. The younger vintages already offer immediate pleasure, but what the older vintages demonstrate is that this is a wine worthy of long cellaring. Another thing to remember is that Trentino has a different climate from Tuscany, with a high diurnal range. Some of the vintages that are most impressive here are lesser vintages for the rest of Italy, which means that they can be overlooked by those following Bordeaux or Tuscany vintages as a yardstick. This is a wine that shows best, it seems to me, in cooler vintages. 

Tasting San Leonardo

Trivet, London; October 18, 2022

2017 San Leonardo IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti

Beautiful perfume of old musk roses, with ripe plummy fruit that speaks of a hot summer that was, however, chequered with August hailstorms. The intense concentration of flavor is thanks to a very small yield, down more than 30 percent because of the hail. The classic San Leonardo blend here is 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Carmenère, and 10 percent Merlot. This is a full-bodied vintage, with flavors of ripe plums, wild blueberry, gingerbread, chestnuts, cinnamon, and dark morello cherry at the core. The noteworthy acidity and firm tannins feel like stiff velvet, giving a tightly knit and substantive texture. The alcohol at 13.5% contributes richness and depth, but with restraint. Spicy notes of nutmeg, allspice, star anise, and cumin unfold on the long finish. 2022–60. | 96

2015 San Leonardo IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 

Vivid black-cherry fruit, with grainy and polished tannins reminiscent of a glazed Sachertorte. Intense and deep, with a sweet vegetal note of sun-dried tomato and the roasted red capsicum that is a classic marker for Carmenère. Notes of spicy and smoky paprika and a floral note that calls to mind a bouquet of late-summer roses, pink peonies, and the image of black tulips. The tannins are well endowed and supple. This was an excellent, problem-free vintage, which will continue to give great enjoyment over many years and will develop over time into something truly profound. 2025–55. | 93

2011 San Leonardo
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti

A beautiful, translucent, intense ruby color conveys lightness and intensity mirrored by the nose. Spicy cayenne with wafts of dried tobacco leaf and sweet, earthy flavors of roast pumpkin, glazed carrots, smoky, charred roast meat, late-ripening persimmon, and dried orange rind. Firm grainy tannins, strong acid backbone, and a balanced ABV of 13.5%. Intense and complex on the finish, with lingering notes of pipe smoke and fragrant autumn leaves. The long maceration and up to three daily pump-overs gives this wine its characteristic substance and resilience. This was the first vintage for which San Leonardo became fully organic. 2022–50. | 97

2006 San Leonardo IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti

A wet vintage, but the wine emerged pristine, thanks to cool and sunny weather at harvest, which amplified the diurnal range. Floral notes of violet and peony, with dark-cherry juice, blueberry, and tart red cranberry at the core. Exotic hint of Turkish cigarettes, yarrow root, and sharp green mustard. There are the signature Carmenère vegetal tones of tomato leaf, with earthy poppy seed, meaty beef broth, and umami strains of soy sauce. Structured acidity with distinct edges, and tight-grained, finely knit tannins, while the long finish also suggests many years of development and enjoyment ahead. 2022–46. | 95

2000 San Leonardo
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 

Despite the very dry growing season, this wine displays an elegant, harmonious structure and a meaty savory character like slow-cooked meat ragout, with notes of chocolate and umami. Flavors of tomato leaf, red capsicum, potpourri, savory dried porcini mushrooms, green olive, pickled cornichon, and licorice root. It is dense, with high levels of dry extract. Just the slightest bit hedonistic, the 2000 treads the fine balance required of an elegant, classic profile. 2022–50. | 93

1999 San Leonardo
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 

This needs time to unfurl but opens up in the glass with a sweet and joyful aroma of red strawberry and full-blown roses. The fruit is sweet and round on the palate, with baked strawberry and raspberry tart, alongside a hint of bitter, strong espresso and creamy tiramisù. The tannins are firm, but with a fine texture. There are fewer spicy, vegetal, and savory notes than other vintages, a little less complexity and more sweetness, again from a warm vintage with little rain and high temperatures. 2022–38. | 92

1997 San Leonardo
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti

The vigorous, blackish ruby color shows no signs of fading, and the wine is still going strong. The aromas are of sandalwood and cigar smoke, with plum and morello-cherry fruit in the background. The classic San Leonardo elements are easily discerned. There are vegetal tomato and tomato-leaf notes, and appetizing umami tastes of meaty Bresaola, with exotic hints of curry leaf and turmeric. This was a very dry vintage, with a cool and sunny harvest, and the wine is concentrated, with a long finish and a firm upright structure of finely knit tannins backed by the animating acidity characteristic of this estate. This wine is still developing and is sure to reward patient cellaring. 2022–38. | 96+

1987 San Leonardo
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti

The rowanberry color of this mature wine is intense and beautiful, foreshadowing the astonishing youth and complexity displayed on the nose; here there are aromas of Darjeeling and smoked paprika, then on the palate there are flavors of beetroot, roasted radicchio di Treviso, licorice root, and mouth-tingling Szechuan pepper. Elegantly structured, the tannins are muscular, and there is on the mid-palate an intense sweetness of wild strawberries to lean into and savor. The alcohol is 12.5%. Earthy umami notes of nori seaweed and cashew nuts unfold in the complex, long finish. The overall effect is reminiscent of a great bottle of Bordeaux from the 1960s. This is a truly outstanding wine that gives a real incentive to hold younger vintages of this wine in the cellar until fully mature. 2022–30. | 98

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The Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista project, now in its 15th edition, has been released with a label by American artist Joseph Kosuth. Titled La Proporzione, it may be the finest in the series so far, suggests Robin Lee.

An artist’s label is not in itself a new or original idea. There are many other wine estates with a close affiliation with a certain artist or art in general. It is also no secret that artists’ labels, especially when created by great artists, can add value and attract collectors. Artists’ labels can be beautiful, meaningful, and unique; examples are the exquisite and poignant labels of Domaine de Trevallon in Les Baux de Provence, the ground-breaking Art Series of Leeuwin Estate in Australia or Castello Romitorio in Montalcino, whose labels are by the owner, the artist Sandro Chia. Mouton Rothschild’s famous artists’ labels dating back to 1924 were the first and the original inspiration. Bordeaux estates had always suffered from bad sales in bad vintages, but the genius of the Mouton artist labels is that they inspired collectors to buy every year.

For the Vendemmia d’Artista, the Ornellaia winemaker assigns each vintage a single word, which becomes the artist’s brief for the special artist’s label. For the 2020 vintage, the word is La Proporzione: proportion. “This year, nature and man have combined to form a perfect relationship between vine and thought in the just proportions of elegance, power, and complexity,” said Axel Heinz, who was until recently estate director of Ornellaia.

The selection of the artists is not made by Ornellaia but is outsourced to a team of external professional curators who have worked closely with Ornellaia since the project was initiated in 2009. The curators, both Italian, have worked hard to elevate the Vendemmia d’Artista program to the highest level.

Every year, the large-format bottles with unique, special labels created by that year’s chosen artist have been auctioned by Sotheby’s for the benefit of an art institution and charity, which brings prestige to Ornellaia, as well as the chance for the executive management to rub shoulders with wealthy art collectors who might be attracted to Ornellaia. For the past five years, the art institution has not changed, and there has been a corporate partnership with the Guggenheim Museum, which is now itself a fashionable global brand, and the Guggenheim has hosted Ornellaia for the Vendemmia d’Artista gala at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice. The funds raised from Sotheby’s auction of the special formats benefit the Guggenheim’s “Mind’s Eye” program for the blind and partially sighted.

Art is not easy. It will not please everyone—and this is true of good art, bad art, and everything in between. The more fully one engages with art, the greater the risk, and the greater the reward. Ornellaia has fully engaged with art and is to be commended for doing so. The Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista series is not banal, meaningless, and safe. Instead, it is very interesting and valuable.

Joseph Kosuth is one of the world’s greatest living artists, and the work he has produced for Ornellaia is conceptual, visually arresting, thought-provoking, and very beautiful. I saw the Kosuth label at Ornellaia in real life in all its different versions for the different formats that will be auctioned, as well as the permanent installation that will remain at Ornellaia, on the same day that Vinitaly was showing the world the famous, lascivious, gorgeous, and outrageous Caravaggio Bacchus that they borrowed for the occasion. There could be no greater contrast but also no better analogy. Kosuth’s work in general, and this label in particular, communicates something very interesting and profound about our times and about wine, as will be imprinted unforgettably in your mind once you have seen it. It is at the same time a new and an old way to think about wine. It is highly abstracted and at the same time supremely tangible; physical and yet ephemeral. The Kosuth Vendemmia d’Artista label is a masterpiece—and the wine inside the bottle is very good, too. 

Tasting

2020 Ornellaia

Dark and impenetrable in the glass, the 2020 Ornellaia has a powerful character of coffee and black cherries, complemented by bitter chocolate and tar. On the palate, there is a tense energy supported by grainy tannins, like gravel crunching underfoot as the senses traverse a Tuscan garden of fragrant lemon trees in ornamental terra-cotta, refreshed by shady alcoves of boxwood and bergamot and a herbal coolness, fading swiftly into a whiff of dank, rose-inflected Santa Maria Novella potpourri. Like a vision in a dream, the wine fades quickly, with just a little hollowness on the palate, which evanesces gently with a mineral hint of charcoal, pliable yet incisive, as jet black on a sheet of artist’s paper. 2023–40. | 96

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At a special tasting in the temple devoted to one of Italy’s grandest wines, Robin Lee, with Masseto’s director Axel Heinz and Sotheby’s worldwide head of wine Jamie Ritchie, garnered privileged insights into the seven vintages to be auctioned by the house in April, a release named after the inner sanctum where the wines have been stored ever since they were enshrined.

What wine is as perfectly proportioned and beautiful, as exquisite and rich, as a Brunelleschi cupola? As impressive and imposing as a Piccolomini palazzo? As virtuoso as Michelangelo’s David and as sexy? What wine is so captivating, and so grand that you could say it embodies the very essence of Tuscany? It has to be Masseto. This may sound like hyperbole, but not to those who know the wine well.

Masseto is a modern masterpiece, one of Italy’s, and the world’s, outstanding wines. It was first created almost 40 years ago by Lodovico Antinori, scion of the eponymous Florentine wine dynasty, younger brother of Piero Antinori, who is head of the Marchesi Antinori empire that produces Tignanello, Solaia, and many other well-known wines. Lodovico Antinori founded the Ornellaia Estate in 1981. In 1986, the grapes from one plot of Merlot, always intended to be a component of Ornellaia—a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blend—was bottled separately. This wine was recognized to be of such exceptional quality, and to have such a unique and compelling character, that it was released the following year as its own cuvée, Masseto, a word that in Tuscan slang means “as hard as a rock.” This name is a reference to the clay soil that bakes hard in the summer sun, and certainly not to the wine, which, though powerful and structured, is as soft as velvet, as smooth as silk, as supple as a thick Florentine steak served rare, flavorsome and intense, with a few grains of rough salt and a drizzle of intense, throat-tickling, grassy-green olive oil.

Acquiring a unique identity

The Masseto vineyard and winery are near the small village of Castagneto Carducci, ten minutes from the sea, near the town of Bolgheri, through the shadows of ancient cypress on a gentle slope behind the fabled Tenuto San Guido, where Sassicaia is made, the wine that first put Bolgheri on the map as an elite wine region, Italy’s latter-day Bordeaux. But whereas Sassicaia, the original “Super-Tuscan” created by Lodovico Antinori’s uncle, the Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta, is Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash of Cabernet Franc, Masseto is (or at least was, until 2020) pure Merlot.

Legend has it that the famed Russian émigré enologist André Tchelistcheff, who acted as a consultant for Lodovico Antinori, lay down flat on the virgin soil that had been used by the family as hunting grounds, put his ear to the earth, listened, and pronounced that it should be planted to Merlot. We are told that Tchelistcheff was inspired by Masseto’s blue clay soils, similar to those that characterize certain storied vineyards in Pomerol. Tchelistcheff convinced Lodovico Antinori to plant this particular 17-acre (7ha) plot of rare blue clay with the Merlot needed for a Bordeaux blend. According to the current estate director, Axel Heinz, if there had been the kind of “proper soil analysis” that would be performed today, the decision to plant Merlot there would not have been taken. But “Intuition can sometimes lead you to a perfect result,” says Heinz: “One of the limitations of science is that it creates a formula. It leads you to miss the exceptional.”

In the meantime, Merlot somehow became embroiled in the complicated relationship of a certain cinematic anti-hero and his ex-wife. When Merlot was planted at Masseto, it was the most popular and the most planted wine grape variety in the world. After the hit movie Sideways (2004), Merlot lost its pre-eminence, although it is still second in the world at 657,000 acres (266,000ha), behind Cabernet Sauvignon at 843,000 acres (341,000ha). Other factors have dented Merlot’s reputation in the intervening years, such as the declining reputation of Bordeaux in general since the heady 1980s and ’90s, when Robert Parker inspired a newly enthusiastic generation of wine drinkers to chase after whatever was “hedonistic,” “mind-blowing,” “saturated,” and “luscious”—descriptors that, as it happens, are all perfect for Masseto.

The after-effect of that famous film, coinciding with the waning influence of Robert Parker, has had a colossal effect in the real world. It may seem hard to believe, but there are more than a few influential wine experts who seem to have picked up their beliefs about Merlot from a dour, frustrated, accident-prone, fictional wine nerd, and who still cling to his convoluted, self-contradictory opinions—despite the hidden punchline of that film being that, yes, the greatest wine of them all includes… you guessed it… a good proportion of Merlot.

There is an all-too-widespread belief that Merlot as a grape variety is less complex and less “serious” than Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. Although it cannot be denied that there are rather mediocre wines made from Merlot in northeastern Italy, for example, where it is still a popular offering by the glass, or from California, where it has the “vanilla” reputation of being uncomplicated, untannic, and uninteresting, not to mention from Chile, Romania, and the Languedoc, the same is also true of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir from these and many other places as well. Yet Cabernet Sauvignon has cachet, and Pinot Noir is oh-so-chic, no matter how overblown. The wine experts will roll their eyes to the back of their heads in ecstasy over it, never minding how out of balance it may be at 15% ABV, whereas a varietally labeled, classic Merlot will not get even a modicum of respect. 

Merlot is non-U. Merlot is not cool. Merlot is like the 1980s—it is out of fashion. Merlot is like Ronald Reagan’s jokes, Margaret Thatcher’s politics, and Michael Jackson’s moonwalk. The Merlot persona is Alexis Carrington, Jessica Rabbit, and George Michael. The tasting note for Merlot is Princess Diana’s wedding dress, voluminous blow-dries, colorful eyeshadow, and chocolate-covered profiteroles in a gull-winged sportscar. Nonetheless, Merlot is responsible for more than a few of the world’s greatest wines—on its own or in a blend. It is undeniable that Merlot has the potential for greatness, which cannot be said for all grape varieties—indeed, which can be said for very few. If you know, you know. The great wines that are made from Merlot do not advertise the fact that they are Merlot on their labels. Wines from Pomerol are Pomerol. The old Merlot-dominated vintages of classic Claret are also labeled by their appellations. Masseto, Italy’s greatest Merlot, is Masseto. Merlot is the grape that dare not speak its name.

The legendary Tchelistcheff was the first consultant for Masseto (and Ornellaia) until 1989. He was succeeded in 1991 by Michel Rolland, otherwise known as the Bordeaux “magician,” who, much like Merlot, also got into movie trouble when he was mocked and lampooned in the outrageous 2004 documentary Mondovino, which depicted Rolland driving around in the back of a chauffeured limousine using an antiquated cell phone to dole out the same advice to all his clients (to micro-oxygenate their wines). Yet Rolland remains consultant to Ornellaia and Masseto to this day. Rolland’s notorious obsession with wine texture perhaps at least partially explains Masseto’s beautiful, distinctive, and inimitable silky-smooth velvetiness.

Masseto’s first winemaker was the eclectic innovator, Tibor Gál, whom Lodovico Antinori recruited to work for him when he met him on a visit to Hungary. After Gál, there was Andrea Giovannini, now at Castello di Monsanto in Chianti. Then there was the Bordeaux-trained Thomas Duroux, now at Château Palmer. Anna Martens was winemaker for one year and now makes her own wine on Mount Etna. In 2005, the charismatic and cosmopolitan half-French, half-German, Bordeaux-trained Axel Heinz took over at the helm. Heinz is still running the show as the estate director of both Masseto and Ornellaia. Over the past decade, Masseto and Ornellaia have been divided into two different estates. In 2019, Masseto unveiled its new, separate, state-of-the-art winery designed by the Japanese-Italian architect, Hikaru Mori. A new winemaker was appointed for each winery, and Eleonora Marconi, previously winemaker at Castello di Nipozzano, the Frescobaldi Chianti estate, was chosen for Masseto. Marconi has since left, and in 2021 was replaced as winemaker and cellar master by Gaia Cinnirella, previously a vineyard manager at Biondi-Santi.

Forging a lofty reputation

The dizzying leadership changes have been matched by even more tumultuous changes of ownership. In November 1999, Lodovico Antinori sold Robert Mondavi a 50 percent share in Ornellaia, with an option to buy it all. Mondavi purchased the rest of Ornellaia in 2001, for a rumored $35 million. When the news came a few months later that Mondavi had sold 50 percent of Ornellaia to the Frescobaldi family, who, as the other oldest and most aristocratic wine dynasty of Florence, are ancient rivals of the Antinori, Lodovico Antinori felt personally betrayed. Behind the scenes, a constant presence throughout this whole story, is Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO of Ornellaia. Tall and lean, debonair and aristocratic in his impeccable tailoring, Geddes da Filicaja runs the business.

Geddes da Filicaja was CEO of Antinori for 12 years. He became involved with Ornellaia when Lodovico Antinori hired him as a consultant to help with the structuring of the company. In 1997, Geddes da Filicaja became CEO of Frescobaldi, but in 1999 was invited back to be CEO of Ornellaia. Geddes da Filicaja negotiated the sale of the Ornellaia estate, first to Mondavi and then to Frescobaldi, Geddes da Filicaja remaining CEO with a 5 percent share. After Constellation acquired Mondavi for a reputed $1 billion in 2004, Frescobaldi was able to buy Mondavi’s other 50 percent share of Ornellaia. Lodovico Antinori thought he was selling to a foreign company, but Frescobaldi became the outright owners of Ornellaia and Masseto, a matter of lasting regret for Lodovico Antinori. 

Ever since Masseto became part of the Frescobaldi portfolio, it has been the only wine among Italy’s very highest-level wines that is not associated with its creator. This is quite unusual for such an elite wine, especially such a modern one, not only in Italy, but anywhere. Now that Masseto has achieved its own identity distinct from Ornellaia, it is, more than ever, a wine without a human face (not to mention a winery dog). Lodovico Antinori has been rather written out of the story, which is not surprising. What does seem a little strange, however, is that no one from the Frescobaldi family has taken on the public-facing role of owner. The Frescobaldi stay discreetly in the background, represented by Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja as CEO.

Axel Heinz has been in charge of the winemaking at Masseto (and Ornellaia) for almost two decades now, and he therefore deserves full credit for cementing its lofty reputation. Heinz is an exceptional personality: knowledgeable, a fluent and entertaining speaker in at least four languages, sensitive, committed, and passionate about what he does, but he is not the owner, and sees himself as custodian. Masseto, he says, is not his wine. Heinz sees his job as being much like the director of an august Bordeaux château that has already passed through the hands of many owners. It could be a deliberate choice at the corporate level for Masseto not to be too intertwined with Heinz, creating an eventual successorship dilemma. For whatever reason, no other wine at the level of Masseto seems so much like an orphan.

The history of Masseto is certainly interesting, but even so, notwithstanding all the intriguing characters and the cloak-and-dagger twists and turns of the plot, it is not the most important thing.
If you ever have the good fortune to visit Masseto, as I did recently for the first time, and be given a private tour of the vineyard and the winery, and then be invited for a tasting, after which you are ushered into the private dining room upstairs and served the legendary Masseto 2001 from double magnum… if you have that in your glass, as you dreamily look out over the beauteous Tuscan landscape, illuminated by the blazing orange-red streaks of the sunset, then you are only going to be thinking one thing, which is that you have arrived in Paradise.

The Masseto Caveau Release

The online auction led by Amayès Aouli, Sotheby’s Head of Wine, Europe will run from April 12 to 27. It will comprise 35 cases, with bottles of the 2006, 2010, and 2011, as well as magnums, double magnums, imperials, and a single Nebuchadnezzar of those and older vintages back to 1996. The 46 lots—132 bottles in total—will carry a combined estimate in the region of €200,000. Masseto will also extend an invitation to the winning bidders to host them at the winery by the end of 2024.

All the lots of and from Masseto Caveau are in oak cases handcrafted and numbered by an artisan in Bolgheri, and contain a certificate of origin signed by Axel Heinz. Every bottle will come with a Prooftag®, attesting to the wine’s authenticity, and the date when the bottle left the Caveau is stated on the front label: April 2023. Caveau is mentioned on every capsule as well as on the seals of guarantee that close the wooden cases. 

Tasting Masseto Caveau

Tasted at Masseto, January 30, 2023

2016 Masseto

What does perfection taste like? Well, for one thing, it does not taste perfect, it has to have personality, it has to be exciting, with a lively sense of risk; it must have balance, of course, but be on the edge of something significant, like a steep precipice or a fathomless void. This Masseto from 2016 has it all. It is big and bold, and yet exquisitely poised and graceful. It is monumental, but perfectly proportioned. The color is deep and dark, as it is still young, and this color expresses itself on the nose with still-reticent floral and herbal tones, along with something savage and untamed that is tangibly present and yet invisible, like wild boar footprints in the snow. When you taste this wine it impresses you with its intensity and vigor, its engaging personality, its elegance and polish, and its devilish energy, but all this greatness is contained and not explosive. There are dark-berry and wild-myrtle flavors, complex notes of damp potpourri and burned sage. The sweetness of the fruit is all savory, like charred aubergine and bicycle grease. An underlying smoky, tarry note like a winter fireplace, with oriental spices and star anise, pulls you through into a very persistent finish, still glowing with youthful splendor long after the wine is swallowed. 2023–60. | 100

2011 Masseto

Tight, taut, concentrated, monumental, this wine has an impressive and toned structure and a noteworthy natural acidity that is remarkable for such a hot year (a Masseto signature). Contrary to what some might suppose, Masseto is not acidified. Heinz says that the Merlot holds its acidity to such an extent that on a regular basis the Merlot of Masseto has a lower pH than the Cabernet Sauvignon of Ornellaia. Heinz has never acidified either Ornellaia or Masseto in the 18 years that he has been winemaker. Notwithstanding its powerful structure and impressive physique, the 2011 Masseto is pliant and graceful. It is like looking into the tense but soft and melting eyes of a deer. The sumptuous and complex flavors are generous, rich, and darkly sweet. The silky tannins and gorgeous texture linger in the memory. According to Heinz, this vintage reminds him of the 2001 when it was young, so all the more, on that basis I would warrant that it’s worth cellaring. 2030–60. | 98+

2010 Masseto

This was Masseto’s latest-ever harvest, stretching into October. The nose is generous and plummy, with enticing floral notes of iris, musk rose, and pelargonium. Savory-sweet fresh blood and dark, juicy pruneau d’Agen, with mineral notes of ferric oxide and old terra-cotta bricks heated by the sun are enveloped by a breeze of sundried sage, rosemary, laurel, green fig, and all the other sweet and wild smells of the macchia mediterranea (similar to garrigue) which is the mix of native wild plants that grow along the Tuscan coastline and the Maremma. The toned tannic structure is like a pocket-sprung mattress, solid and yet heavenly-soft, subsumed in a textural roundness that swells like the ocean. As the wine develops into the long finish, it is prodigious and grand, like a monumental ziggurat covered in grassy moss but still visible. This is an outstanding wine, with plenty of time ahead. 2023–50. | 96

2006 Masseto

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. It seizes the day because this is its moment. It is not too young, it is not too old, it is spot on. The 2006 Masseto smells and tastes like the inside of a Bentley. It feels like Roger Federer’s backhand. Augmented with floral elements like candied violet and woodsy, creamy pine nuts, savory-sweet flavors of chestnut purée are interlaced with ripe and juicy red-pomegranate seeds layered with sandalwood, floor wax, green fig, kumquat, and something else like sour kombucha. The tannins are powerful but smooth, masterful and polished. Everything is tight and in its right place, with a surefooted virtuosity that is also at the same time relaxed, natural, unimposing, the epitome of true elegance. Savory sweetness and gorgeous folds of textural nuance envelop you all the way through to the end of the long finish. The 2006 is a beautiful wine that displays perfectly well what Masseto is really all about. 2023–40. | 100

2001 Masseto

This wine was served twice, from bottle and then (later at dinner) from double magnum. A truly superb vintage, no matter the context. This is another superlative wine, as well as an historic landmark for Tuscany in general and Masseto in particular. This vintage was awarded 100 points at the time of its release, and thereby transformed Masseto from being something of an insider’s secret, to what it later became and still is today—the top dog. This is now a mature wine with captivating tertiary notes of beef consommé and fine cigars, as well as wafts of ylang-ylang and potpourri. Savory laurel, sage, and rosemary infuse the palate, complementing more meaty and exotic floral notes of ossobuco with saffron and a lifted, citrusy, tangy-sweet blood-orange character augmented with smoky wild honey, chipotle, camphor, and incense. Voluptuous, like cool silk sheets and a floaty eiderdown, caressing, solid, and yet soft, its rich and creamy texture is supported by an athletic tannic structure and a savory sweetness following through to the long finish. The heavenly texture is, however, what gives this wine its extraordinary pedigree and is what most lingers in the memory. Hard to equal, this wine is now in its prime (and from double magnum will remain there for many years). 2023–40. | 99+

2000 Masseto

The 2000 Masseto is more restrained on the nose than some of its stablemates but unfolds with aromas of ripe strawberry, red plum, and cherry, Seville orange, and Valrhona chocolate. Masseto’s characteristic textural exuberance enlivens a long, persistent finish. Supremely refined, this is not a showy vintage, but it nevertheless displays the finesse, the irresistible charm, and the rich, sophisticated artist’s palette for which Masseto is famous. 2023–30. | 94

1996 Masseto

The 1996 Masseto was bookended by celebrated vintages on either side (the 1995 and 1997) and seems generally to have been rather overlooked. If nothing else, this vintage demonstrates just how perceptible the distinctive voice of the Masseto terroir is in every vintage, conveyed with remarkable continuity in every wine throughout this estate’s hitherto short and lively history. Marasca cherry, citrus peel, and damask rose lead the complex aromatics shaped by an elegant and lacy structure, like beautiful haute couture silk lingerie. Fully mature, it is time to drink this beauty now and over the next few years. 2023–30. | 93

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