Maremma, the wild country of Tuscany - Press trip Tenuta Monteti 14-16 May 2024

Lying in the southern part of the region, Maremma is known as the wild west of Tuscany with its medieval villages, wooded hills with olive threes and just steps away from the Thyrrhenian Coast. Olive oil, vineyards, adventurous hikes, and culinary discoveries all awaits you at the most romantic part of Tuscany, the Maremma!

The trip took us to one of the most renown estates in Maremma, Tenuta Monteti. The estate is found close to the township of Capalbio and only 15 km located of the nearest beach. Tenuta Monteti is run by Eva Baratta and her husband Javier Pedrazzini and are the second generation to run the winery. Of course we cannot forget Aaron, the white labrador that serves as a mascot for hospitality and protecter of the winery. However, it was Eva’s parents Paolo Baratta and his wife Gemma Bracco that founded the Tenuta Monteti in 1998, when they found the small valley and realised that this was the perfect place to grow vines and make wine of excellent quality. Located at the foot of Monteti hill, ensures a unique microclimate by holding off strong winds that may come from the Thyrrhenian Sea. This leads to a more humid autumn season, allowing the grapes to reach full aromatic potential. The rest of the valley enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and warm, pleasant
summers. The vines are orientated towards the southeast and southwest, ensuring maximum sun exposure. The vineyards are located approximately 145 meters above sea level and contain a high amount of clay in the soil, leading to a perfect mixture of drainage and water retention. When preparing the soil back in 1998, the Baratta family came across large boulders of calcarenite of up to 60 million years old! Now they are displayed at the entrance to guard the property.

The grape varieties of Tenuta Monteti

Hearing the name Tuscany, everybody’s mind immediately wonders towards the Sangiovese grape, which is no surprise considering that largest part of red wine production in Tuscany is consisting of Sangiovese. However, in the case of Tenuta Monteti, the Baratta family felt like Sangiovese did not really live up to the quality they had in mind for the region and their winery. Due to the climate, soil and location, the family leaned towards the usage of international varieties like the Bordeaux grapes, but not with the intention to make just another Bordeaux-blend.

The three grapes that take up the highest percentage of the blend, both in Bordeaux itself and in the rest of the wine world are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Usually either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot will take the lead. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most popular varieties in the world and is known for its high number of tannins and its capsicum/paprika like aromas. It originated in Bordeaux as a result of crossbreeding Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.

Merlot is a smoother variety coming from Bordeaux, with cherry aromas and chocolate aftertaste. Cabernet Franc is a fresh variety that is high in acidity, it usually supports the other two varieties in Bordeaux-blends. Planted in Tuscany it can lead to more ripe and dominant fruit characters due to the warmer climate. Looking at the other allowed, less known grapes, of Bordeaux we find Malbec, Carmenère and Petit Verdot. It is only Petit Verdot that plays a huge role in Tenuta Monteti and is one of the star components of one of the wines. When planted in a warmer climate, like the Maremma, Petit Verdot will develop in a very bold, yet smooth wine with spicy notes such as sage and floral notes such as violets. This makes it’s the perfect wine for stewed meat or spiced dishes.

Apart from the Cabernet grapes, Merlot and Petit Verdot, there is a fourth star player in the Monteti, and that is the grape of Alicante Bouchet. This is a very interesting variety as Alicante Bouschet is a teinturier grape, meaning it has a red skin and red juice on the inside. Making it a very fruity and succulent grape. It is originated from the South of France when the grapes Garnacha and Petit Bouchet where cross bred.

Last but not least, a small amount of Mourvèdre is planted. This Mediterranean grape is also known as Monastrell in Spain and leads to firm peppery aromas along with dark fruit and tobacco.

Quality as top priority

The Baratta family has already shown their importance they put into quality by selecting grapes that lead to better results, instead of choosing the ‘easy’ Sangiovese, allowing a higher appellation and easier selling results. It continues to do so by only producing a selection of three wines, so the focus on perfection can be maintained.

TM ROSE
The rosé is the latest addition to the assortment, containing mainly of Merlot, along with Cabernet Franc and Mourvèdre. Hand harvested with floral aromas, summer fruit and herbaceous touch in the nose. In colour and taste it leans a bit towards the Provence style, however the subtle minerality and live acidity ensures a medium to long aftertaste.

CABURNIO
Will focus on Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Alicante Bouchet and Merlot. Aged up to a year on French barrique. Beautiful fruit character coming from Alicante with notes of overripe black fruit, subtle spiciness, roasted coffee beans and a very smooth balance between the tannin and the fruit.

MONTETI
Here the dominant grape will be Petit Verdot, with both Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon as supporting varieties. Because Petit Verdot grows perfectly here, the wine will display elegant notes of mint, minerality, violets and balsamic.

All grape varieties plated in de vineyard are divided into different plots and are alternating in between. This allows to pick only the best grapes of each vintage, ensure the highest possible quality in the blend of every single year. All the vineyards are maintained in anorganic way and since 2023 olive oil is organically produced as well. The olive oil comes from the estates very own olive threes. The region of Maremma is a paradise for hikers as well, with caves and trails all over the region to be discovered. If you are lucky, you will find left footprints from wild boars, that live all over the area. The boars like to snack from the grapes of the Monteti vineyards and even though it is a plague that the grapes get eaten, the boars will only eat ripe grapes. That way they do serve as a good indicator for ripeness!

The wild boar lends itself perfectly well for different regional dishes such as Pici al ragu di Cinghiale, a stew dish featuring the wild boar, that combines perfectly with different vintages from Monteti and Caburnio. The Pecorino cheese made in the area is also a perfect match for the wines from Tenuta Monteti.

In other words, the Maremma region has everything that the good life can offer, high gastronomical culinary dishes, sandy beaches, wild nature, cultural medieval cities and the beautiful wines from Tenuta Monteti!

Winery: Tenuta Monteti
Communication: Wine | Partners
Importer in the Netherlands: Anfors Imperial