thoughtful winemaking
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TERROIR
The Ultima Pietra vineyards overlook the tiny medieval village of Trequanda. Situated at 500 meters above sea level, in the northeast corner of the UNESCO World Heritage Val d’Orcia, our hilltop offers views of the two defining mountains of Tuscany—Monte Amiata to the South and the Alpi Apuane, nearly 250 miles North. This stunningly picturesque area borders the Crete Senesi, known for its distinctive lunar light grey clay formations created by the Pliocene sea millions of years ago. Intense sunny summer days at Ultima Pietra are transformed into cool evenings as gentle breezes flow up and over the ridgeline vineyard. This dramatic maritime-like temperature fluctuation is essential for the development of wine aromas.
FRENCH GRAPES MEET ITALIAN SOIL
Our soil, where the vines today push their roots, comes from the depth of the sea—a beautiful mix of silt, clay and sand—that was, 5 million years ago, totally underwater. This type of soil absorbs water during rainy periods and returns it to the vines during the warm season, giving the wines elegance, freshness and balance. Analyses confirmed that our land was perfectly suited for French varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay. The vines, sourced from the famous French nursery Guillaume, were planted in the winter of 2017: a total of 7.6 acres of vineyard. The young vineyard suffered through the challenging historic drought of the summer of 2017. Thankfully the vines dug deep, survived and have flourished, a testament to our mesoclimate and careful preparation of the vineyard.
CERTIFIED ORGANIC & BIODYNAMIC
The first task was to certify our lands as organic—a 3-year process. We practice dry farming--a riskier approach, but traditional in Tuscany and thus, depend upon Mother Nature to provide necessary rainwater. In 2020, we committed to Biodynamic farming for the grapes, olives and bees—better for the earth, creating a sustainable ecosystem on our little farm. Where can you see evidence of this conversion? One indicator is the tall, flourishing, cover crops planted between the rows of vines to provide nutrients to the grapes, and sustain and strengthen the soil. Nutrients move from soil to vine to cluster. Ours is not a pristine, clean, manicured vineyard but one full of life, color and the vibrancy of a healthy ecosystem. A biodynamic approach enhances the vitality of the environment and quality of the wines.
HOW TO GROW AMAZING FRUIT
Each aspect of the farming/viticulture is done by hand: from careful pruning following a Poussard single Guyot system, to shoot selection, and the time-consuming task of canopy management, weaving long, tenacious individual shoots by hand around the top wire (as opposed to cutting them) to guide the energy of the plant toward the young fruit. Next comes veraison and green harvest, where nearly 50% of the fruit is cut and removed from the vine to ensure ideal maturation and ripening for the remaining clusters. Finally, the grapes are all carefully picked by hand and the winemaking process begins.
PRECISION VITICULTURE
We work, to the best of our ability, to practice the highest form of precision viticulture. There are no rules or dogmas—each plant is treated according to its needs. Determinations regarding individual harvest dates for each small vineyard parcel are made by taste, color, texture and continuous testing of the grapes to confirm optimal ripeness and ensure balance, freshness and tannin content for aging. And of course, weather always plays a critical and unpredictable role. The grapes are picked by hand, gently placed into small fruit bins, destemmed and carefully sorted by our experienced team.
MINIMAL INTERVENTION: WE LET THE GRAPES DO THE TALKING
When the beautiful fruit arrives in the cantina, we choose the simplest approach—relying on natural yeasts and minimal winemaker intervention. Committing to doing less is always difficult and potentially perilous—requiring more discipline from the winemaking team and a bit of good fortune. Each small vineyard parcel is harvested and fermented separately. The developing wines are gently exposed to oak; a neutral French oak cask, handcrafted by Mittelberger of wood aged for at least four years—the ideal choice for our grape varietals. We utilize large format oak casks, or botti, typical of Brunello winemaking, the perfect vessel for aging, imparting structure and balance while allowing the wine to express the characteristics of the earth. Ultima Pietra wines are elegant and handcrafted. We produce only a few thousand bottles annually. The goal is to create stunning wines that reflect the particular characteristics of our unique terroir in each successive vintage.
