The Vineyards
Colorino plant with fruits, october 2004
The vineyards are the beating heart of the estate. They occupy only 14% of the land but account for over two thirds of the working hours throughout the year. The diversity of the varieties growing in the oldest vineyards and the Sangiovese clones planted in the more recent ones are the palette from which we draw to compose the colour of our wines, with labour-intensive harvests during which we pick the various types of grapes separately.
| Site | Area | Varieties | Year of planting |
| Vico | 1,2 hectares | sangiovese (15%), canaiolo (10%), trebbiano (20%), colorino (55%) | 1969 |
| Patrignone | 4,2 hectares | sangiovese (33%), trebbiano (10%), malvasia bianca (25%), malvasia nera (12%), dolcetto (8%), colorino (12%) | 1973 |
| Cantine | 2,2 hectares | sangiovese (75%), canaiolo (10%), chardonnay (15%) | 1973 |
| Santo Pietro | 2,2 hectares | sangiovese (60%), trebbiano (30%), colorino (10%) | 1975 |
| Poggio | 3 hectares | sangiovese (50%), trebbiano (20%), chardonnay (30%) | 1977 |
| Sparéto | 2,6 hectares | sangiovese (92%), cabernet sauvignon (8%) | 1993 |
| Porta | 2,2 hectares | sangiovese (100%) | 2001/2 |
| Patrignone 2 | 1,5 hectares | sangiovese (100%) | 2004 |
| Santo Pietro 2 | 0,9 hectares | sangiovese (100%) | 2005 |
(immagine 3c)
The structure of the plantations has changed a lot over the past forty years. Until the 60s there were few vineyards: most of the grapes were produced in the rows separating the small fields typical of share-cropping. The hectares planted as vineyards came later, with the end of share-cropping and the spread of tractors in the Tuscan countryside. A further change took place in the mid 80s, when the quantity targets for which the plantations had been designed were supplanted by the search for a product of increasing quality. We adopted less potent fertilisers, changed from the traditional guyot pruning to the less productive “cordone speronato” technique, and selective harvesting. Finally, in recent years we decided to continue our policy of planting the Tuscan vine par excellence - the challenging Sangiovese - rather than turning to international varieties such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
The introduction of organic farming techniques since 2001 has confirmed the importance of accurate vineyard work, combined with the use of organic fertilisers and milder pesticides than the chemical types. After the first few transitional years, production has returned to levels similar to those of the past, but it is much more satisfying for those managing or working the vineyards.
| © 2010 Majnoni Guicciardini - Vico d'Elsa - FI |