Viticcio is a winery and farmhouse located in the Chianti Classico area of Tuscany.
The 120-hectare property (300 acres) also includes vineyards in the Maremma and Bolgheri zones, allowing the producer to offer a range of typical Sangiovese-based Chianti Classico wines as well as Super-Tuscans made from the Bordeaux grapes Cabernets and Merlot.
Read on as Viticcio tells us the story of their cantina, their land, and their wines.
Viticcio Wine Reviews, Ratings & Tasting Notes
Brief history
Viticcio has been making wine since 1964 in Greve in Chianti, located between Florence and Siena in Tuscany. Our vinicultural production began with the desire to capture and embody the potential of Chianti Classico. Over time, Viticcio wines became renowned for their true expression of the Tuscan terroir. Our winery has grown to encompass 120 hectares of estate-owned land among the hills of Chianti Classico, Maremma, and Bolgheri, and today we produce wines from all three of these prestigious territories.
Today we, the Biba family, carry forward the production of Viticcio winery. We’re dedicated to producing high quality, organic wines that express the Chianti Classico, Maremma, and Bolgheri territories with classic yet fresh style.
Location
Viticcio is located in Greve in Chianti, an area of the Chianti Classico winemaking region of Tuscany. We produce Chianti Classico DOCG, also as Riserva and Gran Selezione; Toscana IGT; Bolgheri DOC and Bolgheri Superiore DOC; and Vermentino Toscana IGT.
Chianti has been known for thousands of years as a winemaking zone. At its very heart lies Chianti Classico, where the most classic and authentic expressions of Chianti are made. Greve in Chianti, where our winery is located, is a significant zone. This small town has bustled with economic activity and trade for hundreds of years. Today, Greve in Chianti is the main town in the Chianti wine region that stretches from south of Florence to just north of Siena.
Climate
In our vineyards in the Greve Valley in Chianti Classico, the climate is ideal for growing grapes. It is not excessively hot and enjoys a good diurnal temperature range. This marked temperature variation between night and day helps the grapes develop rich polyphenolic compounds and aromas, thus creating more complexity in the wines. Notably, the valley is rarely foggy, but instead benefits from great ventilation that is healthy for the grapes.
The Maremma region borders the Tuscan coast and is characterized by its wild, unspoiled natural beauty. The constant sea breezes in Maremma and Bolgheri give optimal ventilation and lend freshness and a touch of salinity to the grapes grown here, and savoriness to the wines.
We have 120 hectares of property, 60 of which are estate-owned vineyards.
Soil types
In Greve in Chianti, the soils are rocky with some clay and sand, while some areas have a prevalent amount of the typical Tuscan stones galestro and alberese.
In Maremma, the soils are rich in clay, lime, and sand, with a prevalence of sandstone and a slightly acidic component to the composition.
In Bolgheri, the soils are similar to that of our vineyards in Maremma, quite sandy and clayey.
Vineyards and grape varieties
We have three vineyards in Chianti Classico, where we grow Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.
The soil is poor in nutrients and the water reserves are deep underground, characteristics that allow the wines to be very elegant.
In Maremma, we cultivate Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Foglia Tonda, and Vermentino.
And in Bolgheri, we have Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.
Viticcio wines blending proportions:
- Viticcio Chianti Classico DOCG 2014: 98% Sangiovese Grosso, 2% Merlot
- Viticcio Chianti Classico DOCG 2013 Riserva: 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 5% Syrah
- Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione Prunaio 2013: 100% Sangiovese Grosso
- IGT Toscana Greppico Vermentino 2015: 100% Vermentino
- IGT Toscana Monile 2013: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot
- IGT Toscana Bere 2014: 50% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
Winery
The winery was built in 1964. In the cellar, we strive to exalt the flavors and aromas of each unique variety to make wines that express the distinctive characteristics of Chianti Classico, Maremma, and Bolgheri for a final product that conveys elegance and freshness.
Each wine is vinified and bottled in the territory of its provenance, and all varieties are kept separate through all stages of vinification.
The grapes are hand selected on the sorting table for best quality, and then vinified separately in small, stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures. They undergo cold maceration and then fermentation for 15-28 days. At the end of fermentation, the skins are gently macerated to extract polyphenolic compounds and aromas.
Depending on the wine, some stay in stainless steel while others are decanted to barrels or barriques, where the reds undergo malolactic fermentation to achieve higher complexity. Only the highest quality and best-made Slavonian oak barrels and French barriques are hand-picked for refining and aging our wines, all new or used once.
The amount of wood allowed to be transmitted to the wines is carefully monitored to maintain balanced flavors, distinct aromas, and an overall elegant profile. Once the wines are blended, they rest in barrels or barriques for a varying amount of time depending on the wine (up to eighteen months for Monile and Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione), and then aged in the bottle for three to six months.
Viticulture
We believe that high quality wines are made in the vineyard, and that only by respecting the land can we grow naturally wonderful grapes that will make exceptional wines. Our vineyards have always been cultivated using organic techniques and natural treatments, and since 2003, eight hectares of vineyards are cared for using biodynamic methods. We have been certified organic since 2013, and all labels will have organic certification by 2017.
We use no synthetic or chemical fertilizers or treatments of any kind in the vineyards, and only a small amount of copper for some of the vineyards, in doses much lower than the maximum amount allowed. We have always used green manure, or mulch, which enriches the soil with nutrients, favoring good insects and discouraging the proliferation of weeds and pests. In fact, our mulch is sold throughout all of Italy as a natural option for other wineries and companies to tend to their soils.
We work our soil minimally, turning it just once a year, which allows autumn, winter, and springtime rains to penetrate the soils and provide water reserves for the hotter, drier months. We leave the grapes on the vines until they are perfectly mature, never overripe. Then, nearing harvest, which we do manually like all our work in the vineyards, we carefully go over a selection of the grapes two or even three times in order to gather only the highest quality bunches.
People
Owners: Alexander and Alona Biba
Winemaker/Enologist: Daniele Innocenti
Wines
350,000 bottles are produced annually.
Viticcio Wines from Chianti Classico:
- Bere Toscana Rosso IGT
- Viticcio Chianti Classico DOCG
- Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva
- Prunaio Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione
- Monile Toscana Rosso IGT
- Dolce Arianna Vinsanto del Chianti Classico DOC
- Per Camilla Grappa Riserva del Chianti Classico
Viticcio Wines from Bolgheri
Viticcio Wine from Maremma
Cellar door information
We have recently renovated an authentic Tuscan agriturismo in Greve in Chianti with nine separate apartments housing from two to eight guests. We also offer wine tastings and winery tours available every day of the week, in a variety of formats: from a guided wine tasting to a complete tour of the winery, including a sampling of Viticcio’s extra virgin olive oil and locally-made Tuscan cheese and salumi. And we offer the chance to blend your own wine on-site and take it home. Finally, we have a wine shop where guests can find all of our products.
WINE SHOP, WINERY VISITS, AND TASTINGS
Open Mon.-Fri. 9 am-5 pm | Sat.-Sun. upon reservation
Tel. +39 055.854.210 or ask for Lorena at +39 366.566.2937
info (@) viticcio.com | lorena (@) viticcio.com
The information on this page was provided by Viticcio exclusively for Social Vignerons.
Find more information on their website Viticcio.com