“I remember perfectly the day my father told us. Since as long as I remember he managed the property at Ciacci Piccolmini for the Contessa who owned it. A few months after she passed, my father learned that she had left the entire property to him in her will. It was so unexpected, such a shock for everyone. My father had always wanted to plant vineyards on that property while working for the Contessa but she would always respond ‘someone else will, but not me.‘ So in the meantime he had bought a small parcel of vineyards where I worked and found my passion for viticulture but it was really that day, in 1985, when things changed” – says Paolo Bianchini, owner of Ciacci Piccolomini.
The origin of the Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona estate dates back to the 17th century. Located in the southeastern Montalcino in the beautiful village of Castelnuovo del Abate, it has breathtaking views of the Orcia valley and Mount Amiata. The oldest part of the property is the Palazzo (meaning Palace), erected by Montalcino’s bishop, Fabvis de Vecchis, Abbot of Sant Antimo Abbey. Over the course of time, the Palazzo became the property of the Montalcino diocese and was auctioned according to Italian law regarding ecclesiastic property.
In 1877, Francesco Ciacci, head of a Castenuovo based family, purchased the property from the Church. In the mid-1900s, the historical “Palazzo del Vescovo” became known as the Palazzo Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona after the marriage between count Alberto Piccolomini d’Aragona, a direct decendent of Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II) and Elda Ciacci.
Today, the Bianchini family owns the Estate. Giuseppe Bianchini managed the farm for the Countess Ciacci Piccolomini. He lived on the land with his family and oversaw the day-to-day operations of food and wine production. His children were born on the Estate and grew up in the vineyards and olive groves with their father. Giuseppe was willed the property in 1985, when the Countess passed without any heirs. Prior to this, the farm made wines for personal and local consumption. The Countess was never interested in making Bruenllo for the larger market. However, it had always been a dream of Giuseppe’s to produce great Brunello. After selling a portion of the Estate to pay for inheritance taxes, he set about farming the most perfectly situated plots of land for classic Brunello production.
Giuseppe passed in 2004. His children, Paolo and Lucia, continue to farm the land with great care and incredible results. Of the 200 hectares in Montalcino, 40 are planted to vine. Paolo and Lucia farm organically, without the use of chemicals. Nestled at the base of Mount Amiata, the terroir is moderated by proximity to the volcano and the orcia River. This extends the growing season and, coupled with the well-drained, rocky soil, leads to wines of great finesse, balance and longevity. Like many of the great producers of Italy, Paolo and Lucia are modern in the vineyards, favoring low yields, using cover crops and working the vines manually. In the cellar, the Sangiovese-based wines are classically styled, employing large oak with wonderful resultes. The wines are quintessential expression of place and the nobility of Sangiovese.
Paolo Bianchini explains: “The first vintage that I would consider was Brunello 1990. It was the vintage that put us on the map and when we really started. From there we grew slowly, and my sister joined the team around the same time we had started to build the new winery together with my father. It’s too bad that he wasn’t able to see it finished but I like to think he is looking down at it from the heavens. The new cantina is something that represents our philosophy as a company, this balance between old and new and respect for tradition and use of innovation. We apply it to everything we do, in the vineyards, cellar, our use of wooden barrels, and hopefully you find this search for balance in our wines.”
This red blend is an ideal daily wine, a full-bodied Sangiovese softened by the addition of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. Fruity and lightly herbal with perfumes of flowers leather and a dusty hint of earth and spice. This a wine ready to drink now, and also happens to be a great value.
Often considered the “younger sibling” to the more structured Brunello, the Rosso di Montalcino is also produced from 100% Sangiovese grapes. Red berries (raspberries, wild strawberries) with hints of flowers, citrus and spice on the nose open to a medium-bodied palate, with nice structure and fine tannins. Though the Rosso can age quite well, this red is immediately approachable, an enjoyable wine to drink now while the Brunello waits patiently in the cellar…
The Rossofonte is produced from a careful manual selection of Estate-grown Sangiovese Grosso grapes, a serious wine that captures the essence of the Ciacci style. Though far from ordinary, this red is naturally more approachable than the Brunello, with fruity perfumes of wild cherries and ripe berries and balsamic notes of tobacco, cedar mint and lavender. Sensations of sweetness and acidity alternate in the mouth, to finish with fine, powdery tannins and spicy nuances of star anise and pink pepper.
Brunello di Montalcino is a classic expression of the Sangiovese Grosso grape from estate vineyards in the prestigious Val D’Orcia. This is an intensely perfumed and rich wine with dried flowers, red berry fruits and notes of spice and fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, yet warm and soft, with a well-balanced palate, fine tannins and incredible length.
The Pianrosso has always been the Estate’s most representative wine, a Cru Brunello crafted from the finest Sangiovese grapes grown in the vineyard of the same name, in the heart of the Val d’Orcia. An intense and complex, fruit-forward bouquet reveals ripe red berry fruits and a variety of spicy notes. Warm, soft and harmonious on the palate, pronounced tannins, acidity and a savory note bring balance to the wine. An elegant wine with great potential for additional aging in the cellar.
Ateo (“atheist” in Italian) was first produced in 1989, a difficult vintage between two excellent years, as a result of the decision not to produce Brunello in less than ideal vintages. That vintage also represented the first harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vineyards, the grapes that comprise the wine today. Ateo is a vibrant and juicy wine with intense herbal, spice and fruity (black cherry, plum) notes. A nice structure is supported by balanced tannins and indisputable personality.
The FABIVS is made from 100% Syrah, one of the first pure Syrah wines in Montalcino. The name is dedicated to Fabivs de’Vecchis, the Montalcino bishop responsible for the construction of the Palazzo Piccolomini in 1672. Complex and persistent notes of currant, blackberry, plum and cherry are enriched by elegant aromas of tar, dark chocolate and spice. This full-bodied wine is warm and soft in the mouth with persistent, well-balanced tannins. A powerful wine that is exceptional any time, now or after some repose in the cellar.
385 IGT Toscana Rosso is a wine of quality, with fresh and fragrant expressions of rich, ripe fruit, characteristic of wines that appeal to today’s young wine lovers. Though the wine’s roots run deep in the region’s history and the blend is based on Tuscany’s most representative grape, Sangiovese, 385 is given a more “modern” cut with the addition of Merlot, Ciliegiolo and Syrah. This melding of two important wine regions combined with the experience and expertise of internationally renowned oenologist Maurizio Castelli and technical managers Alex Bianchini (Ciacci Piccolomini) and Paolo Rivella (Tenuta Fertuna), results in a wine that can bear witness to its origins, expressing great structure and character, without being dependent on the stereotypes of excessive alcohol and concentration often attributed to Tuscan wines.
The Santa Catarina d’Oro Riserva is produced only in the finest vintages from a careful selection of grapes from the Pianrosso vineyard, followed by a lengthy aging period (3 years in barrel plus minimum one year in bottle). The result is a gorgeous, intense and complex wine with alluring ethereal aromas of sweet pipe tobacco, truffle, plum and eucalyptus. Smooth and full-bodied, yet elegant, with a savory, juicy palate, fresh acidity and enveloping tannins.
