Tuscany appeals to the imagination. The long rows of majestic cypress trees, the olive groves, the delightful hilltop towns with their narrow alleys, picturesque shops and attractive squares, the winding roads uphill and downhill, the eternal sun, the good food, but also the history, culture, art ...
Did I forget something?
Oh yes, the vineyards and the wine.
The perfect picture, or at least one of them, can be found half an hour from Firenze, along the FIPILI, the connecting road between Firenze, Pisa and Livorno. There you take the exit Ginestra - Montespertoli, follow the direction of the latter, the blissful town on the ridge, and just as you enter the town you turn right on Via Montelupo, the winding road downhill, towards… Montelupo.
After about five minutes you will come across some large signs: “Free tasting at Tenuta di Morzano!” Don't mind if I do!
Camilla and Giacomo will welcome you with open arms and in their typical “Italian English” they will introduce the Tenuta and the wines in the small, classic-looking cantina. Take your time and don't forget to view the borgo, because it is a complete concept: agriturismo.
In 1973 Luciano Mignolli bought the vineyard, which then covered 2 hectares, as a hobby and made wine only for his family, friends and customers. Luciano had an architectural firm, a construction company, a hotel and he was active in the financial world.
However, being a businessman, he soon saw opportunities in viticulture, so he professionalized the way of working, expanded the surface area and, in 1993, took on his nephew. Giacomo Benucci, a recent graduate in “Economy” (the curriculum, not the comfort level), had also completed his military service and was applying for jobs at two banks when Uncle Luciano called him. He declined the offers from the banks and went to work for the family business, much to the dismay of his parents. For them, a job in the banking sector was the highest achievable.
Giacomo, formerly a semi-professional water polo player for the Firenze team, a very popular sport in Italy, worked in the various companies of the Mignolli family (his mother was Luciano's sister) before ending up in Montespertoli in 1996, in Tenuta di Morzano.
Meanwhile, Luciano decided to design a borgo on the property of Tenuta di Morzano. A “borgo” is literally a combination of old buildings, but the architect in Signore Mignolli had something more beautiful in mind! 16 brand new, comfortable apartments, tailor-made for holidaymakers. So with a small kitchenette, but also a terrace with barbecue for each apartment.
And in case you, God forbid, make friends on the spot or like to steal the show… there is also a large barbecue poolside. For unforgettable evenings!
For those wishing to study Tuscany, Montespertoli is strategically located between Firenze, the Tyrrhenian Sea, San Gimignano, Certaldo, Lucca, Siena, Pisa… All less than 45 minutes away by car. Wine lover? Montalcino is an hour and a half away and well worth it, as you well know.
Luciano passed away in 2013 and now his daughter Francesca runs the family business. The wine estate now includes 40 hectares of vines of (obviously) mainly Sangiovese, the Chianti grape. A total of 8 wines of a very nice quality are pressed and they are happy to let you taste it, and for free. If you are staying there on holiday, you should definitely not skip the tasting session. They do it in the morning, inevitably followed by a lazy afternoon at the pool… Unless you spit everything out as it should, of course. We don't!
Chianti!
A brand name, an identity, a story and a region. Look, I have no problem with the New World and have discovered many gems from the distant wine countries, but the classic "Old World" system still gives relative clarity about what is in the bottle. Also with Chianti, in all its variants, you can know which grapes are in it, what the yield is per surface, how long the wine has been in barrel or in the bottle and more of those things that make the average bookkeeper enthusiastic. For those who prefer to taste rather than study, like myself, there is the guarantee that Chianti, in the different qualities, is a relatively firm red wine with the necessary nuances of red fruit on the nose, soft tannins on the palate and a medium to long aftertaste. And the typical Sangiovese character.
Il Primo Chianti DOCG is the entry-level wine at TdM. A pour-away wine without pretension. Anyone who has ever smelled violets will find that in this wine as well. I, very limited in floral scents, especially recognize Sangiovese, which, thanks to soft tannins and a nice acid balance, complements the local snacks nicely. Don't be too hard on yourself, don't argue about this. Simply enjoy with some cheese, some types of charcuterie, some ciabatta and lots of olive oil… and have the next bottle ready in time. Possibly slightly cooled, if on the terrace of the Borgo or another sunny spot.
The Chianti Morzano Riserva DOCG, pressed entirely from Sangiovese, aged 12 months in partly new French oak (in barrels I mean, of course) and 18 months in the bottle waiting to be commercialized, is a lot more complex and offers more depth. A wine that makes you sit down, as we say. Red fruit (what else), vanilla and black pepper characterize this wine on the nose. You can put a piece of grilled meat against this. This is TdM's signature wine.
His colleague, Il Quarto – Chianti Riserva DOCG, is a recent addition to the range that includes some Merlot and Syrah to tweak the character. It remains a primal Chianti, no doubt about it, but it illustrates the “open mind” of TdM. 12 months in recycled French oak and 8 months in the bottle before moving to the store. This means that the oak is less present than with the Morzano Riserva, and the florality is emphasized a bit more (proverbial, of course).
I would venture to say that the Morzano Riserva represents the quintessential Chianti and Il Quarto is a contemporary version. But who am I, of course…
And then there is the, again entirely in my opinion, ideal combination of the above approaches: Emilio – Chianti Superiore DOCG. All Sangiovese (see Morzano Riserva), but 12 months in recycled oak and 8 months in the bottle (like the Quarto). A classic label, a modern name... A little more spice in the nose, a little heavier in structure, soft tannins and some years more oak than others. It remains a natural product and not a formula.
Every Chianti winemaker also makes an “international blend”, as they like to call it. A wine that does not meet the requirements to be called Chianti, but rather reflects the personality of the house.
At TdM, the international blend is called “Nicosole IGT”, and you can read all about it in our Nicosole-blog.
Whoever says Chianti also says Vin Santo: the sweet dessert wine from Tuscany. Not to be confused with the equally noble Sauternes and similar wines from Bordeaux! These French wines are sweetened by the "noble rot", but we'll keep that story for another time. In short: because of that rot, the grape dries out and so the sugar value increases, resulting in sweet wine.
With the Vin Santo “Piovano Arlotto” they rely on their own skills rather than on nature. The Malvasia, San Colombano and Trebbiano (the grapes) are picked during the “normal” harvest and dried for four months. In this way the sugar value is also increased, while the volume of the grapes drops to about thirty percent compared to the harvest. The wine is then "softly" pressed and then aged for 5 to 10 years in chestnut (!) barrels. A laborious process that requires a lot of concessions but results in an exceptionally sweet but balanced wine. Can be combined with, for example, foie gras or cheeses, just like the Sauternes.
There is also olive oil from TdM, cold pressed and perhaps tastiest simply on white bread (watch out: on site you will find almost exclusively bread without salt and that may take some getting used to…). The product and the presentation are currently being reviewed, but it used to be an absolute must and will no doubt remain so in the future!
De wijnproever
Information and orders via Il Sapore, the importer for Belgium.
Info:
Tenuta di Morzano: http://www.tenutadimorzano.it
Borgo Filicardo: http://www.filicardo-apartments.it
Il Sapore: http://www.ilsapore.be
