Press

We traverse 37 miles across the Val d’Orcia stopping at Ultima Pietra, a beautiful boutique winery outside the town of Trequanda. The estate’s newly pressed, peppery olive oil is exquisite, as are the wines from the small 7.5-acre plot of biodynamically-farmed vineyards. There’s a heady, salt-flecked rosé, a nutmeg-and-orange-blossom Chardonnay, and a svelte-yet-powerful rosso Bordeaux blend. They speak of place and people, including their graceful expat American owner, Margot Stone, who once took a trip with B&R years ago, fell in love with Tuscany, bought a villa, and now lives Under the Tuscan Sun.

Biking delivered me to one of the trip’s most transcendent spots: Ultima Pietra, an estate that seems to float above vineyards and olive groves near Trequanda. Proprietor Margot Stone Bowen told me, “Driving through the Val d’Orcia, your heart skips a beat with every turn. But to bike or hike these same ancient paths allows time to slow to a near standstill.”
At Ultima Pietra, blossoms of jasmine and lavender perfumed the air; rosemary cascaded down stone walls; and butterflies flitted through the vines. “At this slower pace, Tuscany begins to reveal its true, complicated, and extraordinary self,” Bowen said.
Over lunch, we tasted her estate’s peppery new olive oil (harvested barely a week ago) and vibrant Merito merlot while gazing across the UNESCO-protected hills. Bowen explained the vineyard sits “at 500 meters above sea level, among the highest Tuscan vineyards,” its altitude lending freshness and minerality. It felt like a metaphor for the entire journey: finding a new perspective by slowing down and climbing up.

For a long time, in the niche of great Tuscan wines, the most prestigious labels were almost always the expression of just one grape variety: Sangiovese. Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino built their legend on this variety of Romagnolo origin, which gives rise to its top expressions in the Grand Duchy. However, in the last three decades, another grape variety has found suitable soils and climates in Tuscany for creating great wines: Merlot.

The first wines that Bryant Imports is introducing to its exclusive wine list and the U.S. market, are produced by Ultima Pietra, an emerging Italian winery whose treasure trove of wines resonate with rare elegance and refined character.

Walking the vineyard with Margot and Corinna Banti, Ultima Pietra’s Cellar Master, you can feel their fidelity to the land and its vines.

Standing on the precipice of greatness, with the highest standards and a no-compromise attitude Ultima Pietra is set for stardom.