Visualize a villa from the early 16th century, near Florence; build by an enemy of the mighty Medici family. You can easily imagine intrigues of various kinds taking place here. Today, life at the Terraio Villa is probably much quieter. The passion is still there but now it goes into the excellent wines made here.
The wine estate surrounding the villa is called Fattoria Bini. Mariano Bini bought the villa and the farm around 200 years ago and created Fattoria Bini. His heirs, Elena and Francesca Bini, still live in the beautiful villa, situated 20 kilometres southwest of Florence, amidst 20 hectares of vineyards, olive groves and a variety of different kinds of trees that have been planted in cooperation with the Research Centre for Forestry (Il Centro di Ricerca per la Selvicoltura). All in all, this covers 450 hectares.
Andrea Ciattini is the director of the estate. He works closely with winemaker Stefano di Blasi who used to make wine for the famous Antinori.
“We are located in the Chianti DOCG“, says Andrea, “but in addition to our Chianti wines, we also make two white wines, two red IGT Toscana wines and a sweet Vin Santo. “
The white Albicante (IGT Toscana) has a very modern feel to it thanks to its eye-catching label. It is not a new design though. The symbol on the label was found in an old book in the villa. The grapes are 60 % Trebbiano, 30 % Chardonnay and 10 % Grechetto. This seems to be a good combination of Italian and French grapes because the wine is tasty and vibrantly fresh.
The other white wine is called Duecentodieci Chardonnay. It is made from old Chardonnay vines grown on limestone soil. I like this wine very much although the name is impossible to pronounce for someone who doesn’t speak Italian. It is a little bit oaked; 50 % of the wine is aged in barrels, not new ones though. But the oak is not overwhelming. The wine is fresh, even crispy, with a salty juiciness.
Their regular Chianti is made mostly from Sangiovese. “Sometimes we add 10 % of Merlot but certain years, like 2017, Sangiovese is just perfect on its own”, says Andrea. This is an easy drinking wine with hints of the typical cherry fruit. I always enjoy a Sangiovese without any oak, just the clean, succulent fruit. The wine is left with the skins for only 10 days and the tannins are soft and rounded. The label is the same as for Albicante but here it is red (of course) which makes it look a bit like a heart. It actually sells well in the United States for St Valentine Day.
Chianti Riserva is in the same juicy style but it is more concentrated. The tannins are soft, the acidity refreshing. The winemaking is a bit different. The fermentation is made in stainless steel and after that, the Merlot is aged in oak barrels and Sangiovese in concrete tanks for one year.
Gheppio (IGT Toscana) is 60 % Sangiovese and 40 % Merlot. This is a structured wine with ripe fruit on the nose but still fresh on the palate partly thanks for the fact that the wine has been aged only in stainless steel tanks.
Terrajo (IGT Toscana) is a heavier wine with 19 months of oak ageing. The balance is fine but Andrea still calls this a “wine for competitions”. The grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Many producers in Tuscany make a Vin Santo, a very traditional wine for the region. But other regions in Italy have their own versions of it. The Fattoria Bini Vin Santo is made with Trebbiano, Grechetto and Malvasia Bianca grapes that are put on wooden mats to dry after the harvest. The dried grapes are pressed and the small quantity of must is aged in chestnut barrels for 10 years. The alcohol – all natural – is 16,5 % and the residual sugar is 110 gram per litre. The acidity is high, 6,7 gram per litre. It is aged with no topping up which gives it a very rich and complex character. A truly amazing wine. “This is a high-quality Vin Santo”, says Andrea. Unfortunately not everything on the market is as good as this one…
—Britt Karlsson
