Tenuta di Trinoro

Tenuta di Trinoro is an iconic estate situated in southeastern Tuscany's Orcia Valley near Sarteano, where Tuscany intersects with Umbria and Lazio. The winery produces rich, age-worthy red wines made from Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. The charismatic Andrea Franchetti, the owner of Tenuta di Trinoro and Passopisciaro, is the nephew of Cy Twombly and heir to his mother's textile fortune. Franchetti learned the art of winemaking from Jean Luc Thunevin of Chateau Valandraud and Peter Sisseck of Domino de Pingus in Bordeaux before returning to Italy. He planted Bordeaux varietals at high elevations on the slopes of Mount Amiata in 1992 in a region that had not seen vines in years. Franchetti's production is quite small, with only 750 cases per year on average, and he uses high-density planting and heavy pruning to produce low yields. Franchetti has no qualms about leaving grapes to the birds if a vintage is unworthy, and he believes that profound wines can be made with less wood, using barrels made of only 10-20% new wood.