Tenuta di Valgiano

Tuscany, Italy

At a Glance

• Valgiano is part of small community of Biodynamic producers (Lucca Biodinamica) in and around the Tuscan village of Lucca. Lucca is located roughly 40 miles west of Florence and 100 miles north of Montepulciano and is wedged between the Apennines and the Tyrrhenian Sea 250m above sea level. Soils here are rocky and rugged and are generally a combination of limestone and sandstone. The area's most commonly planted varietal is sangiovese (locally called Sangioveto) but there has been a significant amount of Syrah and Merlot here since Napoleonic conquest brought the grapes here 200+ years ago.

• They own a total of 14 hectares of vines in some of the best sites of the region around Lucca (Colline Lucchesi DOC). The area enjoys abundant rainfall and sees the daytime heat moderated by sea breezes and cooler evenings.

• Their "Tenuta di Valgiano" flagship wine is known for unique blends of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Syrah but there is no specific formula for this blend: “We taste from the vats every day, and decide what is the best wine we can make from what the vintage has given us...Cool vintages like 2014 called for 40 percent merlot; earlier, in the warm 2003 season, the blend included about one-quarter syrah and no merlot at all"

• Their merlot grows in cooler limestone-derived topsoil on the eastern edge of the property, Syrah lies on a sandier terroir with a stone over clay subsoil and is located near a stream on the eastern edge of the vineyards, Sangiovese occupies the large central section and is a mixture of the two soil types.

About Tenuta di Valgiano

Since the 1990s, the team of Laura di Collobiano, Moreno Petrini and winemaker/viticulturalist Saverio Petrilli have breathed new life into this stunning 16th century Tuscan estate, Valgiano. Moreno Petrini comes from the Milan shoe industry, his partner Laura Di Collobiano from a Turin family and used to sell luxury yachts. Together they traveled the world until they discovered a run-down vineyard with a Renaissance villa in the hills above Lucca. As part of the Colline Lucchesi DOC overlooking Lucca, Valgiano is blessed with a mix of both limestone & sandstone soils, near perfect aspect, & a constant stream of bristlingly-pure water which spills off Monte Barbona rising nearly a 1000 metres above them. This near perfect terroir encouraged Valgiano to convert to organic viticulture in 1997 & to biodynamics in 2002.

Traditional methods are used in the cellar, employing a mix of stainless-steel & used French oak, while technological interference is kept to a minimum. The objective is to produce, in the simplest possible way, wines that are an expression of the place in which they are cultivated. The grape varieties cultivated here are also quite independent. In addition to the typical varieties of Tuscany, there have also been French varieties here since Napoleon, because around 200 years ago he established the Lucchean Republic, which was dependent on France. The red grape varieties Sangiovese - here called Sangioveto - was historically always dominant, but especially in this area was always supported by the presence of Syrah and Merlot instead of Colorino, Ciliegiolo and Canaiolo.

Additional Details:

Producer: Tenuta di Palgiano
Varietals: Sangiovese, Syrah, Merlot, Vermentino, Trebbiano, Malvasia
Organic Practice Certificates: Yes, by ICEA
Sustainable Practices: we do not use any chemical substance, no pesticide in the vineyards, fertilization by green bean fertilizer
Sustainable Certificates: No
Biodynamic Certificates: Yes, Demeter