Grape: Merlot, Sangiovese
Region: Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy

Distributor's Notes:

"The Gracciano Estate is one of the oldest wineries in the Montepulciano region. In the beginning of the 19th century, Gracciano was owned by the Svetoni family who built the Villa and created the Italian-style gardens that surround it. With over 400 hectares and 22 farms, the very extensive Gracciano Estate also produced a wide variety of typical Tuscan products. Our objective is to produce wine that deeply respects all the characteristics of both the territory and the Prugnolo gentile variety. We seek to create an elegant and traditional wine, placing particular emphasis on the selection of the wooden casks used for ageing alongside a small number of 5 hl tonneaux. The result is a wine with a long history and tradition passed down from generation to generation, a well-defined style and a generous terroir. Starting from the 2018 harvest, all our wines will be certified as organic. The property was inherited by the current owners, Marco, Vannozza and Galdina della Seta Ferrari Corbelli Greco, through their father Giorgio. Today, the winery covers roughly 70 hectares of which 20 are vineyards. The vines grow on the clay and silty soil of the Gracciano hills, one of the oldest and most prestigious crus of Montepulciano. Already in 1864 the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano produced by the then Svetoni winery (today Gracciano della Seta Estate) was awarded the first prize at the International Fair of Turin.The cellars of the Gracciano Villa still contain several bottles of wine from exceptional vintage years. Giorgio della Seta, after working for many years abroad as a manager in a multinational company, decided to return to Tuscany and take up the family Estate. He proceeded to renew the vineyards and build, in 2013, a new winery alongside the traditional unit which is still used for ageing wine in wood. The valley, with its alluvial soil, covers a territory that extends over 23 municipalities on the border between Tuscany and Umbria. Situated between the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany and those of Perugia and Terni in Umbria, it lies half way between Florence and Rome. A landscape of rolling hills, pine and oak forests alternating with small urban areas, steeped in Rennaissance history and art: a place suspended in time, with colours and perfumes that enchant the visitor. The vineyards planted on this rich and fertile soil produce some of the best Italian wines. The small medieval hamlets reflect the colours of the earth and transport us into a world of sensations, tastes, smells, culture and tradition that seems to hover between fairytale and reality. The old cellars of the main villa are currently used only for ageing wine in large barrels and tonneaux. The new winemaking facility, designed by the Studio Caruso e Torricella in 2013, coexists harmoniously with the old buildings of the Estate, consisting of the Villa and the adjoining farmhouse, as well as with the garden and the surrounding countryside. The sleek new buildings seem to blend perfectly with the sloping terrain. Their traditional red brick exterior, however, hides state-of-the-art wine-making equipment and machinery.The new unit contains 50, 100 and 120 hl stainless steel vats, with temperature control systems as well as pumping over and punching down equipment. Ageing takes place in large Slavonian oak barrels (with a capacity of 25-50 hl) and tonneaux (with a capacity of 5 hl) of medium roasted French Allier oak. A pneumatic wine press, a wine pump and a crusher-destemmer complete the equipment. The grapes are transported from the vineyards on carts with vibrating inclined planes and emptied directly into the crusher. The winery has always been run by renowned oenologists (such as Nicol dAfflitto from 1985 and Beppe Rigoli since 1995) who ensured that the Tenuta di Gracciano produced an excellent Vino Nobile, fully respecting the terroir and using autochthonous vines."