Tenuta di Trinoro

Andrea Franchetti acquired property in the Val d'Orcia during the 1980s, land that had previously served as sheep pasture and had never been planted with vines. He sourced his first vine material directly from Saint-Émilion and planted in 1991, bringing Bordeaux varieties to a part of southern Tuscany long defined by Sangiovese. Franchetti trained in Bordeaux under Peter Sisseck and Jean-Luc Thunevin, and his conviction that the high-altitude clay-limestone soils of the Val d'Orcia could ripen Cabernet Franc and Merlot to exceptional quality was met with considerable skepticism from local producers. The first vintage of Tenuta di Trinoro was released in 1997, and the estate quickly established itself as one of Italy's most singular Super Tuscan projects.

• First vines planted 1991 on land with no prior viticultural history, using Saint-Émilion cuttings.
• Franchetti trained in Bordeaux under Peter Sisseck and Jean-Luc Thunevin before establishing the estate.
• First commercial vintage released 1997; the estate operates as an IGT Toscana Rosso Super Tuscan.
• Val d'Orcia was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, encompassing the estate's location near Sarteano.

Andrea Franchetti died on December 5, 2021, at the age of 72, leaving the estate to his four children: Benjamin, Baldassarra, Cody, and Giordano. Benjamin Franchetti, who holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London and had previously co-founded a vertical farming technology company, took on the role of owner and director. Winemaker Lorenzo Fornaini, who had worked closely with Andrea in the final years, continues as oenologist. The siblings also inherited Passopisciaro, the family's separate estate on Mount Etna in Sicily. The 2021 vintage, released in April 2024, is widely regarded as the first standalone release shaped without Andrea's direct involvement, and multiple subsequent releases have earned scores of 96 or above from Wine Advocate and Vinous.

• Andrea Franchetti died December 5, 2021, aged 72; four children inherited both Tenuta di Trinoro and Passopisciaro on Mount Etna.
• Benjamin Franchetti serves as director; holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London.
• Lorenzo Fornaini serves as oenologist and winemaker; no external consultant is employed.
• The 2022 vintage, bottled March 2024 in 8,483 bottles, included all four red Bordeaux varieties for the first time since 2015.

The estate encompasses approximately 200 hectares in total, with 22 to 25 hectares under vine spread across 16 to 20 individual parcels at elevations ranging from 400 to 620 meters above sea level. The soils combine blue clay-limestone with gravel and marine sedimentary deposits, a profile that provides both good drainage and significant diurnal temperature variation at altitude. Planting density reaches up to 10,000 vines per hectare, reflecting the estate's commitment to low yields and concentrated fruit. The flat land surrounding the winery accounts for around 9 hectares, while hillside slopes comprise the remaining planted area. Bianco di Trinoro, the estate's single white wine, is sourced from a Semillon block planted at 630 meters elevation and debuted with the 2017 vintage.

• Total estate 200 hectares; 22-25 hectares planted across 16-20 parcels at 400-620 meters elevation.
• Soils: blue clay-limestone and gravel with marine deposits; planting density up to 10,000 vines per hectare.
• High-altitude Merlot parcels sit at approximately 600 meters; Cabernet Franc dominates remaining hillside plantings.
• Bianco di Trinoro (100% Semillon) is sourced from a single block at 630 meters elevation; first vintage 2017.

Tenuta di Trinoro conducts approximately 50 separate micro-vinifications each vintage, with no fixed blending recipe and final assemblage determined freshly for each year. Blending takes place at the rising moon in February following harvest, and bottling occurs at the waning moon in May, reflecting the estate's biodynamic and organic viticulture principles. After vinification, wines mature for six to eight months in French oak with 15 to 20 percent new wood, then spend twelve months in concrete tanks and a further twelve months in bottle before release. The flagship blend draws on Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, while the I Campi collection comprises three single-vineyard 100 percent Cabernet Franc cuvées. The Palazzi bottling is 100 percent Merlot sourced from high-altitude parcels.

• 50 micro-vinifications per vintage; no fixed recipe, with blending adjusted to vintage character each year.
• Maturation sequence: 6-8 months in French oak (15-20% new), 12 months in concrete tanks, 12 months in bottle before release.
• Blending at rising moon in February, bottling at waning moon in May; biodynamic and organic principles throughout.
• I Campi collection: three single-vineyard 100% Cabernet Franc cuvées (Campo di Camagi, Campo di Magnacosta, Campo di Tenaglia).

Tenuta di Trinoro stands as one of the most consequential Super Tuscan estates outside the established Bolgheri corridor, demonstrating that Bordeaux varieties can achieve world-class ripeness and complexity in the high-altitude soils of the Val d'Orcia. Andrea Franchetti's decision to plant exclusively non-native varieties on land with no prior viticultural history was a genuine act of contrarianism, and the estate's early adoption of Bordeaux futures sales in Italy was similarly without precedent. The 2019 flagship's perfect score from Wine Advocate confirmed decades of qualitative ambition, while the second generation's smooth transition following Franchetti's death in 2021 has reassured critics and collectors that the project's momentum is intact. For students of Italian wine, the estate is essential context for understanding how Super Tuscan identity expanded beyond Sangiovese-dominant blends and coastal Tuscany.

• One of the first Italian producers to sell wine en premier in the Bordeaux futures model, in the 1990s.
• Tenuta di Trinoro 2019 received a 100/100 score from Wine Advocate, among the highest-rated Italian wines of that vintage.
• Demonstrates viability of Bordeaux varieties at high altitude in Val d'Orcia, expanding the conceptual map of Super Tuscan wine.
• Smooth second-generation succession after Andrea Franchetti's death in 2021 maintained critical standing, with 96-point scores across subsequent releases.