Tuscany Siena & Arezzo
Posted - August 28 2008
By Daenna Van Mulligen
Sunrise over Chianti Classico from the Coltibuono Abbey (Badia a Coltibuono)
If you were offered a romantic getaway to any Italian wine region of your choice, which would you choose?
I’ll bet the vast majority of you would say Tuscany.
Perhaps because it’s long been the focus of travel excursions, cooking schools and even Hollywood.
Perhaps because we all know where Chianti comes from? We’ve all seen the images; lush rolling hills, villas
and grapevines intersected by winding, meandering roads. Those images haven’t been doctored; in fact they
are more breathtaking in reality. Each bend in the narrow road brings a more stunning vista and each stop
has you wondering if you could just pack it in and find a villa in need of repairs, al la Diane Lane in “Under
the Tuscan Sun”.
I spent several days in Tuscany in the heat of June - it was thorough and enchanting – beginning in the
province of Siena in Sarteano we traveled to Montepulciano and Gaiole in Chianti to to Castellina in Chianti
and then to Arezzo. To the unbelievable picturesque hilltop city of Volterra in the province of Pisa, to Livorno
to Bolgheri and Suvereto then finally to Grosseto to Castiglione, Cinigiano, Gavorrano and Scansano.
I visited tiny wineries, wineries attached to ancient castles and abbeys as well as modern, massive,
architecturally celebrated wineries.
One does not necessarily make better wines than another - just different.
Siena
Siena is known as the heart in what was the land of the Etruscans. Tuscany is
just one part of the ancient Etruscan civilization of Etruria which also included
pieces of the central Italian regions of Latium, Emilia~Romagna and Umbria.
Siena is a beautiful, ancient city but it’s also a province with over 30 subregions or communes. Chianti Classico - which is a designated DOCG region
- sits above the city of Siena, an oblong chunk of land that stretches up
towards Florence encompassing part of Chianti Classico.
Le Buche
Looking out over Le Buche the estate - from the winery of Giuseppe Olivi
Sarteano sits in the southern portion of Siena,
about 70 km south of the city of Siena.
Here is where you’ll find Le Buche’s newest addition - a winery called Cantine
Giuseppe Olivi. Besides producing wine and olive oil, Le Buche – the estate also
has a beautiful agritourismo called La Sovana. Transformed from a farmhouse in
1986, La Sovana was designed to represent traditional Tuscan style and flavour
with a restaurant serving local cuisine, cozy suites and a gorgeous pool set in the
rolling countryside of Siena.
La Sovana agritourismo
Giuseppe Olivi and his son Ricardo (at right) have
winery with enough rooftop solar panels to sufficiently
In the hot Tuscan sun, solar panels make perfect sense.
hectares of vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
and Syrah. Which makes their first vintage – the 2005 clumsy but full of promise – promise which is starting to
show in the 2006s I tasted.
recently built a new
power the entire facility.
In 2002 they planted 30
Petit Verdot, Sangiovese
young, burly and a bit
Giuseppe Olivi Le Buche, 2006 is an IGT blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and
Franc with the other half being Sangiovese. Medium-full bodied with plums and
sweet cherry aromas leather and sun-baked dark earth – good intensity on the
palate with coffee and chocolate, leather and pepper with
a dusty texture and young tannins – needs time.
solar panels at Giuseppe Olivi
Giuseppe Olivi Tempore, 2006 is an IGT blend of 60%
Cabernet Sauvignon with robust, spiced cherries, sweet
earth. On the palate it has powerful, grippy tannins and
loads of solid fruit but truly needs a few years to come
together. The 2006 Tempore of this wine was softer, the
tannins less dominant the fruit juicier.
Giuseppe Olivi Momento, 2005 is a masculine and profound 50/50 IGT blend of
Syrah and Sangiovese – aromas of dark berries, black pepper, sun-baked earth
and leather with spiced cocoa. Silky on the entry, dusty mid-palate to finish
showing black berry/cherry and plums, more cocoa and loads of spice and pepper.
The tannins are youthful and sturdy but rounded not angular. The 2006 Momento
showed fresher, plumy fruit, loads of spice but less ridged backbone and more in
sync than the 2005.
These wines are not currently available in Canada
Merlot with 40%
chocolate notes and