Tuscany, A Tasting in Three Parts

Inside the entrance to the castle proper at Castello Vicchiomaggio there is a small reproduction of “La Giaconda”—the Mona Lisa. Asked why it hangs there, proprietor and winemaker John Matta smiles and says, “Look out the door, then look at the background scenery on the painting. They’re the same.” According to local lore, he says, Leonardo da Vinci was a guest at the castle while painting the masterpiece.

Well, the scenery does look somewhat the same, although it has undoubtedly changed in the 500 or so years since Leonardo painted his most famous work. But the story, appealing even if apocryphal, underscores how tradition hangs like the grapes on the vines themselves at this historic property.

The property on top of the breathtakingly scenic vine-covered hill (and there are lots of them in Tuscany) in Greve in Chianti dates back to at least the 5th century. Matta jokes that none of the workers have started arriving in Mercedes or BMWs, so he is pretty sure no one is stealing Etruscan artifacts uncovered whole planting and selling them off to collectors. The estate was a storied fortress during the myriad feuds of the Renaissance. Today there is still the elegant house (which takes in paying guests) with its own church (available for weddings) and, of course, the vineyards and winery on the 150-hectare estate.

Wine has been produced at Castello Vicchiomaggio as long as can be documented, and John and Paola Matta, who acquired the estate in 1964, hew to the ancient traditions of the place. In adherence to the strict production code of Chianti Classico, only emergency irrigation is permitted. Sangiovese is the primary grape, of course, but merlot and cabernet sauvignon, as well as small batches of other varieties, are also grown. Replanting takes place on a regular basis. Cultivation is meticulous, Matta says, which makes for lesser yields but more concentrated flavors. Picking on the 32 hectares devoted to grapes (the rest is used for olives) is done by hand.

Such detail pays off. The wines have won numerous awards in Italy and abroad, and so has John Matta himself. Four times Matta, who is British-born of an Italian family, has been named Italian Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit competition.

A sumptuous lunch was the palette for our palates, as we tasted several of Matta’s best wines and enjoyed Tuscan hospitality. (I can never get enough of pasta alla cinghiale, the region’s ubiquitous wild boar ragù sauce.) As a general observation, the wines have a depth of elegance and grace lacking in many of the Tuscan wines that make it to our shores.

But even after we left Castello Vicchiomaggio and our palates waded through a thicket of Chiantis and Brunellos and super Tuscans throughout our brief trip, it was one of Matta’s wines that everyone in our group seemed to favor and return to again and again while relaxing in the evening. His 2008 Castello Vicchiomaggio “La Prima” Chianti Classico Riserva is quintessentially, traditionally Tuscan. I think Leonardo would be proud.

Olivier Paul-Moradini—just call him Olivier, it is easier—is easy to hate: he has rock star-looks and an impossibly beautiful hillside property in Tuscany’s maritime Maremme region that turns out wines of great depth and charm. Olivier also possesses great charm, so, no one can really hate him. And we were privileged to be the first group to visit Volpaiole.

Olivier is not of a winemaking family. He is a Belgian whose job was, of all things, as a European Union bureaucrat. He worked to improve a European-wide emergency call system, establishing 112 as Europe’s emergency phone number, just like 911 in the United States.

But on visits to Tuscany, Olivier fell in love with the wines of a tiny mom-and-pop winery, Volpaiole. Located on the coast of Tyrrhenian Sea, the island of Napolean’s exile, Elba, is visible from the hilltop winery. Olivier returned time and again, befriending the owners Armin and Liliana. In 2007, the couple said they wanted to retire and offered Olivier the opportunity to buy Volpaiole, which means “Fox’s Corner.” He jumped at the chance.

When I say “tiny” I am not kidding. The vineyards are a shade over one hectare, although some new plantings were planned to perhaps double that. Sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot are cultivated, along with some cabernet franc.

Olivier and his winemaker Luca D’Atomma like to keep things green. Grapes are handpicked, and the skins and stalks are recycled back into the soil.

As for the production facility—well, that can truly be called a garage operation. There are a couple of tanks, and maybe a dozen larger and small oak barrels about in a space that really looks like it once was a large garage. (There is also a small olive press producing simply stunning olive oil. Unfortunately, production is so miniscule that it does not reach these shores. Sigh.)