Villa i Cipressi is owned by a wonderful winemaking family with their villa and original winery just south of the town of Montalcino. Owned by the Ciacci family, father, mother and sons are all active in the business.
The wonderful Cipressi collection. The Zebras Brunello di Montalcino 2004 on the left received a high 95 points from Wine Spectator (described as dense and powerful) whilst the Brunello di Montalcino 2006 received 93 points from Wine Spectator and 92+ from e Robert Parker (described as a georgeous wine). Great scores and recognition of the quality of wines being produced from this family run estate.
We had a pre-release tasting of the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino and we rated it very highly. It will form part of our imported stable in 2012 along with a first 375ml Brunello. 2007 should should be a blinder of a year for Brunello.
The philosophy of the estate is to ensure the quality of the grapes are enhanced by a simple and traditional winemaking process. The same grapes are used for Brunello and Rosso with the only difference being the amount of time allocated to the maturation process.
A selection of their wines at the reception centre on the estate. The label design and artwork comes from the artistic talents of the mother. The state produces 17,000 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino every year and 4,000 Rosso di Montalcino.
Here, Carolyna is greeted by Dario, the youger of the two boys. Dario is active on the marketing side of the business.
The original vineyard of the grandfather which is on the estate.
The estate consists of 31 hectares at an average altitude of 350m.
Carolyna, Dario and Frederico (oenologist) in their famed "Zebras" cellars
A long standing family tradition of the family is also bee keeping. Hubert is president of the association of Bee keepers in and around Montalcino
In the Zebras cellar. The vineyards are situated in part in the area of Castelnuovo dell'Abate and in part in Tavernelle. The exposure is South/south west (our preferred exposure). The vine spacing is 2.5 x 0.8m with cordon spur training.
The wine is aged partly in large barrels and partly in barriques and is blended at the time of bottling.
The vinification is the classic type with a long maceration in temperature controlled stainless steel vats.
Hubert with Alan on the balcony of ther villa overlooking the southern slopes outside Montalcino.
Lunch with the family. Whilst probably a little grander for the foreign guests, lunch is always a family get together during the day.
Hubert sharing some of his honey goodies on our departure.
Ciao and buon vino from Carolyna and Alan of Italian Wine Importers
