PODERE LE RIPI

Francesco Illy, owner of the winery Podere Le Ripi, fell in love with Montalcino in 1984, when, working as a nature photographer, he happened by chance in this area of Tuscany. It was love at first sight, and Francesco decided to immediately move to Montalcino, without thinking about wine, of which he was however a great lover, focusing on the construction of his own "home". "The beauty, the distance from all that we call civilization, the absence of modern architecture, the horrible destruction of the last century that destroyed entire Italian landscapes, the scents that pervade these hills all year round, the deep view, east of Monticchiello... and Montepulciano, the prehistoric volcano of Mount Amiata to the south, the amphitheater hills that protect the Ripi to the west and north. All this, so wonderful... but also so pristine." This is what struck Francis right from the start, forcing him almost to give a turn in his life. After about ten years, a dear friend called him, to show him a piece of unique land, one of the last remaining for sale before the soaring prices of the vineyards of this area: it was then that Francis decided to launch himself, starting to prepare the fields for the vineyards, starting with Sangiovese, with a density of 5,000 plants per hectare. After a few years, however, Francis wondered if a higher density could have provided less bunches per plant, but with a higher quality. From here, the flash of genius, or madness, that leads him, within a few years, to plant 62,500 plants per hectare, going to constitute the densest vineyard in the world! A bet won in person by Francesco, who today from this parcel gets the famous Toscana IGT "Bonsai". Between the rows are not used non-natural molecules, and then you choose to grow each plant in the "old way", treating the soil with principles of biodynamic agriculture, thus succeeding in expressing the authenticity of each individual soil, of the different microclimates and of the grapes thought in the cellar. Wines in which vintages are recognized, which are declined with eight labels, where the lion’s share is played by Brunello di Montalcino, presented with different labels such as "Amore e Follia", "Lupi e Sirene"and "Amore e Magia”.