The wines of Tenuta di Trinoro

 

Perhaps Italy's finest wines

 

Andrea Franchetti- A true legend in his own time

"Nature, technique and art, and the wine is the final combination." - Andrea Franchetti 

 

There are a lot of instances in the wine industry where innovation and perspiration collide. A little sweat, a little creativity and a little confidence and boom a wine is created that is so profound, so unique and so magical that we are blown away by its sheer brilliance. An instance occurs where the wines are born instead of crafted, when the mold is set instead of followed. The wines of Andrea Franchetti fit this description to a tee.

 

Mr. Franchetti has created two unique properties, Tenuta di Trinoro, located in the confluence of southern Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria, and Passopisciaro which sits on the volatile volcanic slopes of Sicily's Mount Etna. The wines of each are astounding examples of why the desire to reach for one more bottle of Chianti should be resisted, and the urge to experience something new should be indulged.

 

In addition to owning a restaurant in Rome, Mr. Franchetti also worked as a wine distributor in New York City in the 1980's. He made many friends in the industry, chief among them were Jean-Luc Thunevin of Chateau Valandraud in Saint-Emilion and Peter Sisseck of Domino de Pingus in Ribera del Duero. Each were visionaries in their own right, and their wines are some of the most respected in all of the world, so there was no shortage of great advice for Andrea to fall back on. But ultimately it was Mr. Franchetti's genius that has led the way.

 

 

A place unlike any other

Tenuta di Trinoro was Mr. Franchetti's first creation. It was and is a departure from the normal way of doing things. For starters Mr. Franchetti selected a spot in a sleepy corner of southern Tuscany to plant his vines, a place where sheep and wild roses were more common than vines.

 

"We all live by images, my most dreamlike image already existed here.  When I found it I was completely taken by this place.  I wanted to stay so I decided to make wine."

 

In this place new grapes had not been planted in over a century. He decided to plant his vines high on the slopes of Mount Amiata (Tuscany's highest peak) in a place where the eroded rock of the mountain gave way to the limestone and clay of an ancient sea floor. And to top it all off he planted Bordeaux varietals instead of the ubiquitous Sangiovese. He even planted Petite Verdot- a grape notorious for its fickle nature and the long growing season necessary to bring it to full ripeness.

 

From the beginning Mr. Franchetti set out to make the greatest wine possible. The vines were created from grafts of some of the best vineyards in Bordeaux, among them such legendary estates as Vallandraud, Ausone and Vieux Chateau Certan. Crop thinning was mandatory, with up to 60% of the grapes cast to the ground in order to protect only the healthiest bunches.  The final yield was less than one ton per acre even though the vines are planted to an extremely high density.  Each perfectly cared-for vine produced four bunches of grapes with tiny berries that provided incredible and intense juice. 

 

The growing season in this very hot corner of Tuscany extends often into November, but since the vines were planted at elevations which were higher than any other in mainland Italy the grapes retained their natural balance.

 

"I pick at least one month later than anyone else in Tuscany, no matter where they are located."

 

Each vine was harvested by hand only when the grapes had reached the absolute peak of maturity.  Harvest often lasted months.  The grapes were vinified separately in small fermentation tanks, only indigenous yeasts were used, and only the free run juice made it into tank. Mr. Franchetti used only the finest French Oak to age his wines.

 
Click Here to Visit the Trinoro website

From the beginning there was a desire to make but one wine, the Trinoro, a wine of such depth, intensity and magnitude that all others would pale in comparison.  The very first Trinoro was a Tour de Force, a wine of such impeccable quality and sophistication that it astounded fans and critics alike.  There was nothing else like it, and no one else had made wine in this fashion from this place.  It was unique.  This is how Trinoro started, and this is what Trinoro remains today.   

 

There is no accolade, no press praise, and no award that this wine has not garnered in the years since.  It is regularly in the mid to upper nineties for those that use numbers to quantify such a profound wine, and it is a real adjective spring for those that do not.  It is in short a monumnetal and legendary wine that is as gracious now as it will be a work of art in the future.  Though the blend changes from one year to the next, the Trinoro is always based on Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc with smaller amounts of Petite Verdot.

 

Vanguard is lucky enough to receive a scant 24 bottles per year of this amazing wine.  Please inquire with your sales represenative today.

 

"Proprietor Andrea Franchetti continues to turn out some of the most inspired wines in Italy." - Antonio Galloni

 

2006  Tenuta di Trinoro  Trinoro    $224  wholesale

Link to my website

In addition to the estate's top wine Trinoro, Mr. Franchetti also produces but one other wine from this amazing estate in Tuscany: Le Cupole.  The same care, the same obssessive desire for nothing short of greatness, the same insanely meticulous methods go into producing the Le Cupole as the Trinoro.  All vineyard practices are exactly the same, and it is truly just in the winery where the two wines are separated.  Mr. Franchetti sells off some 30%to 40% of his already small production to ensure that only the best barrels remain, and from this the two wines are tasted and retasted hundreds of times before the final blends are created. 

 

The 2006 Le Cupole is a blend of primarily Cabernet Franc with 30% Cabernet and 14% Merlot.  The long hang time allows for very ripe fruit with thick skins, intense juice and all the phenolic ripeness you could possibly want.  After one year in French Barrique and one year in Cement tank, this wine is as lush, rich, round and approachable as any to be found in Tuscany.  It has the rustic charm of Italy, the plush feel of Napa Valley, and the sophisticated nuance of Bordeaux.

 

"In recent years the second wine of Trinoro, Le Cupole, has established itself as a terrific wine that won't break the bank." - Antonio Galloni of The Wine Advocate

 

2006  Trinoro  Le Cupole     $23.33  wholesale  $34.99  retail

 

Link to my website