Travel

Badia a Coltibuono: organics of wine
«Vinnaya Karta» №9 (90) November 2007

Badia a Coltibuono is a place of universal interest.

Tourists traveling around Tuscany know it as a former Benedictine monastery with a thousand years of history and as an exclusive wine resort. Gourmets come specially to dine in the restaurant with an excellent menu and splendid views. Starting chefs study in the cooking school founded by Lorenza de Medici. And wine lovers and professionals appreciate the range offered by the winemaking estate.

Known on many international markets, including Russia, Badia a Coltibuono wines don’t need special introduction. First credits in their production go to monks (Coltibuono can be interpreted in two ways — as good culture or good harvest) who left documental evidence of cultivating vineyards back in 1019. A more recent story starts in the mid-19th century when the estate was acquired by a Florentine banker Michele Giuntini. It is currently owned by the Stucchi-Prinetti family that united several noble Italian dynasties including the Giuntinis and the Neapolitan branch of the Medicis.

Today Badia a Coltibuono winemaking estate produces highly commended wines in the Chianti Classico zone. Their success was possible thanks to the estate’s general winemaking philosophy which is firmly based on the principles of organic winegrowing and environmental sustainability. The concept should seem natural for Chianti Classico producers who are lucky to work in these Tuscan nature reserves, but things are not as simple as that.

Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti who heads the winemaking estate together with her brother Roberto realizes that the times have changed. General industrialization and changes in social system which occurred in the seventies after the fall of sharecropping system had a major influence on traditional winemaking. “Today it is hard to get public administration to understand the importance of maintaining conventional winemaking”, says Emanuela.

In her view, like in a general Badia a Coltibuono philosophy, traditional means organic. She argues that thousand-year-old practices at the monastery which were based on sustainable farming, are highly relevant today as they allow to turn down easy baits of modern industry and to concentrate on the values of nature.

Organic approach is indeed seen as a natural way for Badia a Coltibuono development. A huge piece of land covering over 900 hectares mainly consists of woods on the Chianti hills. Vineyards occupy less than 10 percent of the territory. These 70 hectares of vines are located to the south of Gaiole in Chianti in a locality called Monti.

Roberto Stucchi Prinetti who always believed in a holistic approach to winemaking first discovered the principles of biodynamic farming back in the seventies. Then he studied in the University of Davis in California, and in 1990s he started converting Badia a Coltibuono vineyards and olive groves to organic farming. The process was completed by the beginning of this century. In 2003 the estate received a formal organic certification.

“We are not talking about organic wine. We are talking about organic ways of tending the soils and the vineyards”, comments Emanuela. For example, cover crop in the vineyards is not only a solution to minimize soil erosion which is quite problematic for hilly landscapes in Chianti Classico, but also a stimulus for biological diversity. Chemical fertilizers provide the same nourishment and, in fact, limit vines’ life to certain patterns. In Badia a Coltibuono the accent is made on the diversity of biological forms and on creating a link between the nature’s present and the future. “Our task is to support continuity, but also to be profitable for our winemaking activities”, notes Stucchi Prinetti. All 70 hectares have been replanted in the past 15 years and today represent a unique mixture of clones which have adapted to local terroirs for centuries.

Badia a Coltibuono vineyards lie on typical Chianti Classico soils. These are hilly plots, at times very steep, with calcareous and clay soils. Montebello parcel which goes far the hill demonstrates well why it is difficult to produce single vineyard wines in Chianti Classico. Microclimatic conditions in the upper and the lower parts are very individual and yield crops of different quality. Each vineyard is tended according to soils, microclimate and the age of vines. Nothing slips away from the organic focus. Even poles, a seemingly minor detail, are made from local wood, not cement.

As expected, Sangiovese is the major grape at Badia a Coltibuono vineyards. “One of the main differences between Chianti Classico and other Tuscan wine areas is that nights are cooler. This leads to more elegance as compared to other Tuscan wines”, says Emanuela.

Badia a Coltibuono winery built in 1999 at a glance strikes as a stark contrast to traditional vineyards. The impression, though, changes on further inspection. The winery is built in a place where it takes no more than 15 minutes to bring in the grapes. It is set against a low hill with a background of a dense line of trees. Rectangular sections of solid brickwork and of narrow window splits and two contrasting round towers create a balanced ensemble. This is a bold attempt to interpret Renaissance architecture and to make a new citadel of wine that is meet the values of modern aesthetics.

Because of the winery’s location on a slope, gravitational forces are used to full in order to move grapes and wine. The winery impresses with the way it’s been thought out. The introduction of cutting edge technology answers the main production aim to create wine in which the quality of grapes is reflected to the full.

“If you only consider a winemaking aspect, then all wine will be the same. It is important to see how wine fits in local territory and culture” — this is the approach of Emanuela and Badia a Coltibuono winemaking team. They are convinced that organic farming helped wines to transmit the idea more precisely. They also talk about general quality improvement and about more manageable fermentations with local yeasts.

Badia a Coltibuono range consists of four red wines including Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva. Cultus Boni, a super Chianti Classico with the fullest expression of Sangiovese potential, is positioned separately. The range is crowned by Sangioveto — a pure Sangiovese from old vines produced only in the best years. First released in 1980, Sangioveto is one of the early supertuscans that was made to prove greatness of Sangiovese. Vin Santo is the estate’s specialty. It has own Trebbiano and Malvasia vineyard. Slow maturation in barrels helps the wines achieve great balance.

Along with wines from own vineyards, Badia a Coltibuono produces a range of white, rose and red wines from bought in grapes. Working with small farms, the estate supports traditional winegrowing, but it controls the quality standards. Organic olive oil is another important vector of work.

Being the first sizeable estate in Chianti Classico to raise the issue of organic farming, Badia a Coltibuono remains the leader, drawing inspiration from a rich, millennium-old heritage that combines the gifts of the nature and the man.