A grand project for territorial enhancement

Respect for the territory means getting to know the land and understanding its needs.That is why Poggio Torselli uses only clones that come from a scrupulous selection process for new plantings. Our choice of cordon spur pruning is part of the estate’s philosophy of achieving vines that provide a good combination of vegetative activity and yield with optimal concentration of quality-critical elements. In this perspective, green cover cropping of the vineyards ensures timely, rational vineyard management operations in full respect of the environment.

1) The Scopeti Vineyard
The Scopeti vineyard takes its name from the locality where it stands.It extends over about 8,000 m2 of terrain.Once, the abundant heather in the area was used to make brooms (scope in Italian).The vineyard stands on well-structured clay soil in one of the estate’s finest hillside locations.The vitality the soil and the vigor it instills in the vines have to be kept under control by green cover cropping. This reduces yields to the benefit of quality. At Scopeti,we make a vineyard selection of Sangiovese that goes into a Chianti Classico Riserva.Austere, with lots of chewy fruit, our Riserva marries superbly the power of the wine with the elegance of the wood in which it matures for 24 months.

2) The La Villa Vineyard
La Villa is named after the estate’s main residence, near which it stands on about 2.5 hectares of terrain. The proud flagship vineyard for the estate’s grand project,La Villa was planted in 1999. It was Poggio Torselli’s first, successful wager on the successful marriage of a time-honored viticultural heritage with modern management strategies,developed in conjunction with a highly. committed team of agronomists and enologists. La Villa is the vineyard that provides the grapes for a single-variety Sangiovese,matured for 12 months in French oak barrels, emerging as a supremely elegant Chianti Classico DOCG.

3) The Inferno Vineyard
The smallest of the Poggio Torselli plots,Inferno extends over about 7,000 m2 under vine. As carefully conceived as the Scopeti vineyard, Inferno takes its name from the drainage outlet of the old olive presses,which used to be called inferno in the ancient language of Florence. The very stony soil contains lots of small pebbles and imbues Inferno’s wines with complexity and minerality.

4) The Parco Vineyard
The Parco vineyard is named for the parkland that surrounds the villa.Planted in 2001, it covers about three hectares on the edge of the grounds. A total of 13,000 Sangiovese plants are laid out in the Parco vineyard with varying aspects and locations.A key feature is the large number of clone and rootstock combinations that have been used to adapt the vines to each planting site,and the vineyard’s microclimatic variations. Cover cropping, bunch thinning and late harvesting all help to ensure fruit that will produce outstanding Chianti Classico wines.

5) The Defizio Vineyard
In the Middle Ages, a defizio was a workshop where spades, shovels, hammers and other agricultural implements were forged.There would always be a natural source of water near these workshops,as water was needed for ironworking. The ancient spring that still supplies water for the villa has kept the medieval workshop’s name. The Defizio vineyard was planted after meticulous summer preparation of the terrain, which was allowed to lie fallow.The varieties include Sangiovese,Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Lunga del Chianti for our Vin Santo del Chianti Classico.Small numbers of international vines have also been planted to enhance the complexity of our Supertuscans.

6) The Salceto Vineyard
The Salceto vineyard is divided into two parts, North and South.It is named after a willow grove for in the Tuscan winemaking tradition, willows supplied the wicker that was used to tie the vines to training supports.In the past trees such as poplars or maples were used to support the vines. Terraces have been built at Salceto.These make it easier to work the steep slopes and ensure aspects that will ripen Sangiovese grapes with outstanding structure and complexity.

7) The Romagnola Vineyard
The Romagnola vineyard was planted in 2004 to several different varieties. Its Merlot is used for a single-variety wine and the various international white varieties go into a Chardonnay-based blend, creating a well-structured wine mellowed by carefully gauged barrique oaking.The vineyard is mainly north-facing, which is less than ideal for Sangiovese but imbues the varieties planted with remarkable aromatic potential, finesse and savoriness on the palate.

8) The Cassia Vineyard
The Cassia vineyard has an eye-catching horseshoe shape,and is named after the ancient Roman consular road that skirts two thirds of the perimeter. The 20,000 m2 surface area of this vineyard was planted in 2003 at a density of 5,000 plants per hectare with the best selections of Sangiovese clones.The loose-packed,well-ventilated soil lends Cassia exciting potential for the production of premium-quality grapes.

9) The Montecapri Vineyard
The Montecapri vineyard, a superb natural amphitheater, is emblematic of the entire Poggio Torselli estate. Its design features a system of terraces and attractive low, dry-stone walls that help to slow down soil erosion, an asset in terms both of safety and the defense of the environment. The vineyard was planted in 2005 and here, too, Sangiovese is the only variety. The main purpose of the terracing is to ensure the plants enjoy the finest possible aspects, to bring out the full potential of this magnificent native variety.

10) The Colombaia Vineyard
The name Colombaia, which means “dovecot”, comes from the fact that the ancient farmhouse on the site used to provide shelter for birds. Today, it houses the offices and sales outlet for the estate’s products. The Colombaia vineyard has 18,000 m2 of Sangiovese, planted as recently as 2002, and its mixed north and south-facing locations bode well for the future.The varyingly aspected vines yield grapes with a range of different characteristics and a wealth of aromatic and structural potential.

11) The Greve Vineyard
The Greve vineyard takes its name from the nearby river of the same name. Its unique characteristic is that the stones of the old riverbed enable the grapes grown on its roughly 3.5 hectares to ripen to perfection by absorbing and slowly releasing heat. Several different varieties have been planted at Greve, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. After fermenting and aging separately, the wines are blended to make our Supertuscans. A small proportion of Greve fruit also lends roundness and appeal to the Poggio Torselli Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva wines.

Newly planted vineyards
the present is yielding good fruits

Agronomic policy for the newly planted vineyards stays absolutely faithful to the estate’s mission of skillfully integrating the traditions of this unique territory with innovative,up-to-the-minute,viticultural techniques.This is the perspective from which the estate’s decision to conserve environmental conditions should be viewed.Poggio Torselli’s investment policy aims to restore the ancient equilibriums of the past and the overall goals are to produce wines of the very highest quality, and to promote the Chianti Classico zone. The brightest star in the Poggio Torselli viticultural firmament is Sangiovese, a vine as noble as it is demanding. Sangiovese only gives its best on favorable soils, and in appropriate microclimates.
Sangiovese has always been the leading variety in Chianti Classico.At Poggio Torselli, it has found the range of soil, topographical and climatic conditions that enable it to produce truly complex, harmonious wines.That is why the vast majority of vines at Poggio Torselli are Sangiovese.Space is set aside for a few international varieties – Cabernet,Merlot, and Chardonnay – only where the environmental conditions are unsuitable for our leading native variety.At Poggio Torselli, vineyard management decisions reinforce the advantages that nature has bestowed on the estate.