The Wine of Tenuta Montauto and Capezzana

I was first introduced to the wines of Tenuta Montauto by Riccardo Gabriele of PR vino, a wine public relations firm.  He invited me to a wine tasting which included the wines of Tenuta Montauto at da Burde, a traditional trattoria in Florence in October. I was very impressed with their wines.

Tenuta Montauto

Riccardo said the reason there is a hare on the label is because in Italian Lepri means hare. He wants to make good wine as naturally as possible and make then clean and light and very drinkable. He also said that his wines can age and as they age they become more complex.

Tenuta Montauto is located in the hamlet of Campigliola in the commune of Monciano in the Province of Grosseto. The estate was founded in 1960  and in the 1980’s the founder, Enos, Riccardo’s grandfather, planted the first vineyard of Sauvignon Blanc.  Today there are 200 hectares of which 14 are planted in vines, 8 are olive groves, and 40 are of arable lands. He said the rest is covered in woodland which stretches down to the sea, providing an isolated special location with not a factory in sight. They do not use chemical herbicides or pesticides during the harvest.  The small crates are sanitized and the grapes are sanitized with ozone sandpit in a refrigerating room before being vinified. The wines are stabilized using natural chilling techniques.

The Wines of Tenuta Montauto

Maremma Toscana DOC “Enos I”  2020 made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from 40 year old vineyards farmed with organic methods. The vineyards are at 200 meters and 10km from the coast in the southern part of the province of Grosseto. The soil is predominantly clayey and stony. Riccardo said the training system is spurred cordon to favor shading during the summer heat and to avoid an undesired oxidation. There are 3,300 vines per hectare. When the grapes are ripe they are harvested and selected manually during the last 10 days of August very early in the morning. This lowers the risk of undesired fermentation. A soft pressing of the grapes takes place. After a settling of 36 hours, fermentation is in stainless steel tanks at a constant temperature of 16C. This is a dry fresh wine with hints of citrus fruit, lime, aromatic herbs, and sage.

Pinot Nero Toscana IGT 2019  made from 100% organic Pinot Nero from 15 years old vines. The vineyard is at 200 meters and 10 km from the coastline in the southern part of the Maremma. The soil is mostly clay with many pebbles  There are 3,300 vines per hectare. Grapes are hand-picked to guarantee the best selection in the early morning during the last week of August.  Training system is high cordon to ensure the shading and preserve the aromas of the grapes.

After a soft pressing there is a cold pre-fermentation for 48 hours and then fermentation for 7 days with skin contact in chemo-regulated steel vats. The wine ages for 14 months in oak barrels of which 1/3 are new oak and 2/3 are old. This is an elegant wine with hints of delicate red fruit such as strawberry, raspberry with balsamic notes and a touch of spice.

They also make a very nice Cuveé Brut Metodo Classico (Champenoise) made from 100% Sangiovese.