As one strolls the lush carpet of grass on the terrace of Castello di Vicarello, a nonpareil, panoramic vision opens out over this corner of a Tuscany far removed from its much-travelled routes.

That one-of-a-kind spot is Poggi del Sasso, in the coastal Maremma, not far from Montalcino. One can almost literally breathe in the deep green of the woodlands, the dense and often-wild natural beauty. Here, the mass of Mount Amiata looming up on the horizon and the river Ombrone at its feet join forces to contribute to the creation of a very particular climate that is idea for high-quality viticulture.

Castello di Vicarello is that conjunction of rare and precious beauty that is the focus of the Baccheschi Berti family’s hopes and dreams.

It was Carlo and Aurora who carried out a loving restoration of the ancient 12th-century Castello in the 1980s and ‘90s, and today their three children, Brando, Neri, and Corso, all under 35, determinately continue their family’s ambitious projects: vitiviniculture and hospitality. These complex, impressive operations embody ideas and intuitions developed over numerous journeys and stays abroad.

Their current wine collection boasts four different terroir expressions, fruit of the unique way that these stewards of the good and the beautiful interpret the vocation of vigneron. They include a Bordeaux blend, a Super Tuscan, and two monovarietals—an all-Sangiovese, a fitting tribute to its Tuscan homeland, and an all-Malbec rosé. Distinctive soils and climate, and their own quite original approaches to vine-training systems, vineyard densities, grape varieties and clones all contribute to defining the unmistakably-unique stylistic imprint of the four wines.

The family’s winemaking philosophy focuses above all on the natural qualities and character of their local area. Thus, in both vineyard management as well as hospitality, these true artisans devote meticulous attention to every detail and custom-craft everything on their estate, with artistic savoir-faire.

Vitiviniculture at Castello di Vicarello: anti-conformist and sustainable

The triptych of vineyards, climate, and soils

Castello di Vicarello relies on some six hectares of vineyards, subdivided into three picturesque vineyards.

A centenarian olive tree on a sloping piece of ground rises to greet the visitor to the Vigna del Castello (1.1 ha), imposing as a sculpture. Slightly facing west and lying at 300 metres’ elevation, this is the vineyard “where it all began,” where Carlo Baccheschi Berti, following a trip to France in 1998 with his son Brando, decided to create his own Bordeaux-style wine. He planted Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot in the same proportions that the estate’s iconic wine of the same name now contains: 45%, 45%, and 10%, respectively.

Proceeding towards the river Ombrone on a gravel-topped road surrounded by dense vegetation, one arrives at the 3.5-hectare Poggio Vico vineyard, facing southwest and planted to Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot. Lying just below that is the 1.5-hectare Vigna Anfiteatro, a distinctive, bowl-shaped vineyard of notably-steep vine-rows planted on terraces to Sangiovese and Merlot. Both vineyards lie between 300 and 350 metres’ elevation and face southwest.

The close-packed Mediterranean woodland surrounding the winery is an eloquent indication of a particularly beneficent climate, with two influences predominating. In the southeast looms Mount Amiata, the highest mountain in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto; it protects the vineyards from the cold winds from the northeast (the grecale) and north (the tramontana) and ensures good annual rainfall averages (ca. 700 mm) by blocking excessive humidity from the west.  The second factor is the open gap to the west over the bed of the Ombrone, to the Tyrrhenian Sea, some 30 kilometres distant, which in late spring and summer is the conduit for breezes that reduce the risk of heat spells, and encourage significant day-night temperature differentials.

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, and Sangiovese were planted in all three vineyards based on soil composition, which changes sometimes metre by metre. The geological makeup is generally of seabed origin, extremely complex and ancient (mid-Eocene). Alberese and shale clay predominate, which form clay-loam soils with abundant rock and micro-elements, which vine-roots can penetrate to a considerable depth, an important consideration for vineyards planted to high and ultra-high densities. In addition, they are rich in active limestone, which lends spiciness and pungency to the wines.

In the style of Vicarello: Alberello toscano and high desnsities

Even a first quick glance will reveal that the appearance of Castello di Vicarello’s three vineyards is quite different from that of so many other Tuscan winegrowing areas, even though traditional methods have been adopted, such as the alberello, or low-bush-method of vine-training, and high-density layouts. Carlo Baccheschi Berti initially, and now his son Brando selected these elements, in order to craft wines that would be both eloquent expressions of their terroirs as well as represent the family’s strong creative bent.

The alberello Toscano has been utilised in the region since the Middle Ages, but it has become a rarity. Here, however, it has been re-designed to reflect the particular local complex of soils and weather. The growth of each vine is trained into a small arch or triangle, supported by a metal stake, with the trunk remaining on one side; such an arrangement provides, on one hand, greater stability and protection from the wind, and, on the other, a partial shading of the vegetation and clusters, encouraging a more gradual ripening and a more moderate sugar accumulation. In the Poggio Vico and Anfiteatro vineyards, instead, experimentation is focusing on fibreglass supports, which are more flexible and better absorb the force of the daily winds. They are also of the same colour as the soil and therefore constitute a vertical training system that is practically invisible.

The decision to adopt a very high layout density of between 9 and 13,000 vines per hectare also bear consequences for the growth of the vine. Each vine, in competition with its neighbours, is stimulated to explore a wider stratum of soil, thus sending its roots ever deeper. This reinforces its resistance to water stress, improves the vine-soil interrelationship, and the rocky matrix heightens terroir influence. Additionally, the grapes become richer in aroma precursors and the resultant wines display a denser texture, more intense aromatics, and greater acidity and polyphenol extraction, although not higher alcohols. They are multi-faceted and rich, but not excessively opulent.

Castello di Vicarello is committed to respect to fullest degree possible the nature that surrounds it and its beautiful resources. Since 1999, the winery has managed its vineyards and farming operations in accord with the tenets of organic agriculture. In some cases, it has adopted practices that even exceed usual organic measures. For instance, the copper utilised to combat fungal attacks is metabolically active and does not accumulate in the soil as a toxin, nor does it harm the local biome; rather, it is utilised in turn by all the living beings above and below the surface. Pruning is scheduled in rigorous syntony with the lunar calendar. Soil amendments are always natural products that support soil health, and they are used together with cover-crop plants that are changed from year to year in an effort to maintain a green carpet as much as possible.

Predator insects are released into the vineyards to control harmful insects and sexual confusion through use of pheromones is practiced. These are some of the approaches that are used to maintain a system in equilibrium, and the result is vines that enjoy a high level of health.

The winery takes enormous care in preserving and protecting its local area and its landscape. One striking example is the recovery of ancient olive trees that were growing in the vineyards. Some 40 trees were uprooted and re-planted, one by one, particularly along the border of the Anfiteatro vineyard, where they continue to flourish, looking for all the world like ancient stewards of the beauty of this corner of earth or natural art pieces with their dramatically-sculpted trunks. The same criterion was applied to the re-use of rocks that emerged during the re-plantings of vines; they were pulverised then re-introduced into the soil or used to create roads from one vineyard to another. A further example is that ground-working a site for planting respected the original profile of that piece of earth. Finally, in the Anfiteatro vineyard, which lies on a steep slope, small terraces were created to prevent dangerous earth movements, a technique solidly within the Tuscan agricultural tradition. This brought a certain risk, inasmuch as each of the terraces has a minimum area in some place of less than a square metre, and the vines there are only 65cm apart, but it was a risk that brought excellent results, since Sangiovese is flourishing beautifully there today.

Wine collection: Four journeys from the Maremma and back

The Vicarello portfolio comprises four complex, intense wines that vividly embody the Baccheschi Berti family’s very personal relationship with wine. Each of four labels showcases the unique contents of each bottle through use of a different colour palette, while the profile of the Castello stands out in the centre, with the family’s coat-of-arms presiding above.

Castello di Vicarello. This classic Bordeaux blend--45% Cabernet Franc, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot—is a cru wine grown in the Vigna del Castello. Since its debut with the 2004 vintage, it has been the estate’s iconic wine.

Only the finest grapes from the vineyard go to produce Castello di Vicarello. The clusters are hand-picked into small boxes beginning in the final third of September, then, on arrival in the winecellar, they are quality-inspected on double sorting tables both before and after de-stemming. The must goes into 30hl tapered vats of French oak, where it goes through the initial and malolactic fermentations, during which controlled low temperatures of 24-26C° preserve and maximise the extraction of aromatic precursors. The new wine is then given a 1-2-month submerged-cap maceration that gives this wine its classic supple texture and juicy succulence. The wine is then racked off the gross lees and matures sur lie for 20 to 24 months in French oak barrels of 160, 225, or 300 litres, followed by a further ageing in the bottle for a minimum of 24 months.

Castello di Vicarello is produced in a very limited edition of 2,500-3,000 bottles per year. It displays remarkable cellarability.

Terre di Vico. The estate’s second vin is a cuvée of 65% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc grown in the Poggio Vico vineyard. It too debuted with its 2004 vintage.

The vinification process is similar to that of Castello di Vicarello, but in this case the must of perfectly-ripe grapes ferments in stainless-steel tanks, with a subsequent maceration of about one month. After maturing a maximum of 18 months in once-used oak barrels, it ages in the bottle for 20-22 months. Terre di Vico demonstrates excellent longevity.

Santaurora. The collection’s rosé is made from Malbec, a grape of French origin once widely-planted in Bordeaux and today the most popular variety in Argentina, whose climate and soils encourage its maximum expression. Carlo Baccheschi Berti discovered it early in the millennium on a trip to South America, where he tasted the wines of Achaval Ferrer. Impressed, he decided to experiment with a rosé version and then planted selected Malbec clones in the Poggio Vico vineyard.

The grapes for Santaurora are harvested between late August and early September, when the varietal aromatic precursors have fully developed, and the acids are present appropriate for a crisp white wine. Only the juice from the first gentle pressing is used, which ferments partly in 300-litre oak tonneaux and partly in stainless-steel tanks for about two weeks at a controlled temperature of 16-18°C. The new wine is racked off the gross lees and then matures sur lie until bottling, followed by an additional 10 months or so in glass.

Produced only in the finest growing years, Santaurora pays tribute, with gentle Tuscan humour, to Aurora Baccheschi Berti and to her quasi-proverbial patience with the four men of the family. The initial vintage w in 2014.

Merah. Brando Baccheschi Berti wanted this wine as an homage to Tuscany and its primary grape variety. It is a crisp monovarietal Sangiovese, but multi-layered and fruit-rich, displaying pronounced warmth yet at the same time imbued with an almost electric vibrance. The grapes are grown in the Anfiteatro vineyard. The must ferments in stainless steel, then the wine macerates about one month sur lie, followed by an additional minimum of 8-11 months’ bottle-ageing. It is released two years from harvest, and promises significant longevity. It too was introduced with the 2014 vintage.

“Merah” means red in Indonesian and is meant to refer back to the family background in Bali.

A jewel of hospitality

Castello di Vicarello is not solely a wine; it is as well a 12th-century medieval borgo in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma. Carlo and Aurora Baccheschi Berti discovered and tastefully restored the village during the 1980s and ‘90s, and today it has become an exclusive boutique hotel that vaunts a thoroughly-contemporary concept of hospitality centred on custom-designed privacy, exclusivity, and warmth.

Surrounded by olive groves and meticulously-tended gardens, boasting two swimming pools totally immersed in nature, Castello di Vicarello is an oasis of utter leisure and relaxation in a setting prized for weddings and private events. The initial restoration project lasted more than 12 years, and it continues today, with an additional 6 suites added to the current 9.

Both the Castello and the surrounding farm residences artfully converted into eclectic suites contain furnishings and artworks that boast a judicious melange of styles, eras, and cultures that combine to create a refined and relaxing atmosphere, heightened by extraordinary views out over the magnificent Tuscan countryside. Standing out from the others are the Suite Spa, all but hidden from view and featuring a Turkish bath, sauna, and outside Jacuzzi in a large re-purposed wine vat, and the Villa Chiesina, with its pergola-covered patio for repasts and private dinners.

Guests can also take advantage of a rich selection of activities and opportunities to book, starting, naturally, with tastings of the estate’s wines and tours of the vineyards and winecellar. Cookery classes will reveal the secrets of the family’s recipes, gathered in Aurora Baccheschi Berti’s book My Tuscan Kitchen. Other popular possibilities are guided discovery tours by bike, e-bike, or on horseback; private yoga and meditation classes; and a day on a rented yacht spent exploring the nearby Maremma coastline. In the autumn, guests can participate in the harvest activities or in picking olives, while creative types can learn leather-working with noted artisan Era Balestrieri.

Not least are the culinary wonders produced by Chef Kevin Luigi Fornoni, one of Italy’s most promising young chefs, whose cuisine showcases seasonal, locally-grown ingredients of the highest quality.

Team

The microcosm that is Castello di Vicarello was the realised dream of Carlo and Aurora Baccheschi Berti. Today, their three sons man the helm. Brando turned from a career as a professional sailor to directing winemaking, assisted by a small but expert team in the vineyards and cellar and by consulting oenologist Maurizio Saettini.

Neri, after a degree in economy and financial experience in the City of London, returned to Tuscany to contribute to the winery management. Corso too returned, in his case after studies at the École d’Hôteliere di Losanne, to be Head of Operations at the Castello’s hotel.