Col d’Orcia estate between past and present

It is the last day of the week, a Friday of a grumpy week, of a grumpy April that rather than making us experience a warm Spring has made us feel the pungent legacies of a cool Winter.

The weather is uncertain but we do not lose heart; today is a special day. Work gives us the opportunity to visit an absolute wine excellence of our unparalleled Tuscany, the Tenuta Col d’Orcia in that of Montalcino.

Our friend Giammichele Grieco, the winery’s sales manager, is waiting for us for a walk through the vineyards, a visit to the winery and a tasting. It may be a grumpy day, but at the mere thought that we will soon be immersed in such beauty, the soul’s time is calmed and everything becomes more pleasant.

Some of the most exciting aspects of working in the food and wine industry are researching and learning about the enormous supply of quality that our country has in store for us. Our region is no different, and in every corner of its territory, from the lush sea to the cool Apennines, we can find small and large producers of excellence and often, very often, discover fascinating stories.

We arrive at the estate and Giammichele is waiting for us. No time to waste, Irina and I are ready for the tour of the vineyards. We are in the home of Moscadello, of Brunello, of Rosso, we are in Montalcino. We are where history is everyday and centuries-old tradition has become common heritage.



Trying to tell the story of this estate is a very difficult task, especially if one wants to condense it into a few lines. But it cannot be done without it, and so, apologizing from the outset for the painful summary, I shall set out.

Let’s start at the end. The estate has been owned by the Marone Cinzano family since 1973, when it was sold on November 29 to Count Alberto by Stefano Franceschi. In 1992 Tenuta Col d’Orcia was spun off from the Cinzano group and became the property of Count Francesco Marone Cinzano, who has been guiding it ever since with great commitment and satisfaction.

The estate lies at the foot of the hills that slope from Sant’Angelo in Colle toward the Orcia valley, from which it takes its name. In those territories, under the superb gaze of Mount Amiata, archaeological excavations, with the discovery of some Kàntaros – the typical wine glass – have confirmed that since the time of the Etruscans, vines have been cultivated. A land since that time devoted to viticulture has never lost this mission, which over the centuries has been increasingly developed.

The origins of the Fattoria di Sant’Angelo in Colle, which would long establish itself as the village’s most important economic entity, are linked to the family of the noble Sienese knights della Ciaia, who arrived in the area in 1614 and over the following years grew a thriving business. From generation to generation the farm passed from hand to hand until in 1840, on the death of Cavalier Donato della Ciaia, the farm was sold to the Servadio family, who owned it until 1890. On the death of Carlo Servadio the penultimate transition took place and the property was purchased by Lavinio Franceschi.



Taken from the official website of Tenuta Col d’Orcia

“(…) Today’s lineage dates back to at least 1890, the date when, official documents show, the Franceschi Family originally from Florence purchased the property, later known as Fattoria di Sant Angelo in Colle. In early 1933 the Fattoria di Sant’Angelo in Colle presented its Brunellos at the “wine exposition” (First Wine Exhibition of Italy) held in Siena, one of the first commercial activities presented in Italy, decades before Brunello became a precious (first class) wine of international and world level.

Brothers Leopoldo and Stefano Franceschi inherited the property and consequently divided their shares in 1958. The terms of the separation prohibited both of them from using the pre-existing name Fattoria di Sant’Angelo in Colle (…) Stefano Franceschi named his farm Col d’Orcia (hill on the Orcia) after the river that flows through the property (…) He and his wife had no children, and in 1973 Stefano Franceschi sold his property to the Cinzano family originally from Piedmont (…)

In 1973 there were just a few hectares dedicated to grapes, which were expanded during this era under the provision of Count Alberto Marone Cinzano and reached 70 hectares in the early 1980s. In 1992 the son of Count A. Marone Cinzano, Francesco took over the presidency of the estate, continuing to extend the vines until they reached today’s 140 hectares, the of which 108 are devoted to the production of Brunello, make Col d’Orcia the third largest producer of Brunello in Montalcino.”

Back to the present and the visit to the vineyards. The sun has peeped through the clouds and is beginning to make its warmth felt. Giammichele guides us through the vineyards on the plateau at the foot of the Colle di Sant’Angelo, where for several decades in collaboration with the University of Florence the winery has been experimenting with new planting and cultivation techniques.



We are surprised by the breeze coming in from the west, and Giammichele explains that these plateaus, like the entire Val d’Orcia, are fortunate enough to be under the benevolent influence of the sea wind, which travels up the valley of the Ombrone and channels itself into the valley of the Orcia, a tributary of it, until it reaches these places.

But one presence above all captures our attention, the centuries-old olive trees whose size is more reminiscent than the traditional Tuscan plant of the more lush and imposing trees of the Apulian plain and those of Abruzzo. Before the great frost of 1985, with temperatures dropping to -25°, it was not uncommon to find olive trees of this size even in Tuscany, but the great cold wreaked havoc on them and very few, very few survived. Among them were the large and monumental olive trees of the Col d’Orcia estate.



We continue our tour in the rows and luck assists us because we meet a historical figure, agronomist Giuliano Dragoni, who since 1974 has been tending with love and great skill these territories that have brought prestige to Italian viticulture throughout the world. His arrival at the estate was practically contemporaneous with that of the Cinzano Group, and talking to him we have the sensation of leafing through an instant book: the story of a great history that is still in constant evolution, a history that has passed and is passing just as we are there listening to him rapt

We would like to spend hours and hours learning to ask questions, Irina is a river in flood and never stops asking. It almost seems that those lands, that generous nature, that crisp air dampened by the sun’s rays have given us an extra charge. But time is a tyrant and Giammichele reminds us that it is time for the tasting, the host is waiting for us.
We arrive in the hall and a table with many glasses to show off awaits us. A few moments, Count Francesco shows up to welcome us and a new and equally electrifying tour begins: we have gone from the vineyards to the wine and the history of Montalcino is in front of us ready to be tasted.



With each taste, the Count captures our attention more and more by telling us the story of that particular grape variety, enriching the narrative with a few anecdotes that enhance our knowledge of lands pregnant with great tradition. Summoned by the tale, like stills from a glorious past, the Knights Templar, who were perhaps the first after the year 1000 to master these lands, and then the Queen of France Catherine of the Medicis, who, having arrived in Versailles, took care to order a few cases of Moscadello to enliven the evenings at court, flow before our eyes.

Unfortunately, time flew by, as it always does when you wish the hands of the clock would stop and allow you to prolong the pleasure ad libitum… Workday commitments knock on the door and Count Francis, the unparalleled host of this unforgettable experience, bids us farewell.

We will return to Tenuta Col d’Orcia and we will do it soon because we will never be satiated by the beauty of these places. Do it too, it is absolutely worth it. The wine, its stories, and we will soon tell you about our fantastic tasting experience.


Marino

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