Col d'Orcia, Brunello di Montalcino, Italy
Col d’Orcia’s Poggio al Vento vineyard is their oldest plot of Sangiovese vines
Brunello di Montalcino, Italy
Col d’Orcia, which literally means the hill overlooking the Orcia River, marks the south-west border of the appellation of Brunello di Montalcino and gives its name to the 142 hectare estate purchased by the Cinzano Marone family in 1973. Today it is considered one of Montalcino’s most historic estates with over 102 hectares of Brunello vines.
Col d’Orcia is also considered one of Montalcino’s largest wineries, its 540 hectares of land offers great bio-diversity, farming its own animal husbandry, ancient grains, olive groves, honey, truffles, as well as tobacco, a commodity that until 1952 was valued more highly than Brunello vines.
The vineyards are located on the southern slope of the Montalcino territory, on hilly lands and extend from the Orcia River to the village of Sant’Angelo in Colle, at about 450 metres above sea level. Its position is extremely favourable as it faces directly south, protected by the barrier of Mount Amiata (1,750 meters) yet exposed to the milder climate of the Tyrrhenian coast some 35 km away.
The oldest plot of Sangiovese vines was planted by Count Alberto dating back to 1980 and represents their top of the range single vineyard Poggio al Vento label of Brunello di Montalcino.
“In every “terroir” there is an optimum number of plants per hectare that will ensure the best balance of production for given soil and climatic conditions. The choice of rootstock represents an additional variable which also comes into play. Here at Col d’Orcia we have a dedicated field reserved for experimenting with rootstocks where densities vary from 2,500 plants per hectare up to 8,000 on three different rootstocks. The outcomes of these plantings are continuously under study,” explains Francesco Marone Cinzano who inherited the estate in 1992.
Col d’Orcia is one of the most active producers in Tuscany in terms of research and development, guided by the principle that wine quality results from achieving a perfect balance between the vine and its environment.
Future plans include turning the entire farm produce from organic to biodynamic, to become even more sustainable with solar energy and to open the estate, which by tradition has always welcomed visitors.