Alejandro Bulgheroni, one of the world’s wealthiest people, continues to expand his Italian wine empire, now with two vineyards in Bolgheri: Tenuta Meraviglia and Tenuta Le Colonne. His new venture in Bolgheri includes a new modern winery in a former quarry and new vineyards focusing on cabernet franc.
Stefano Capurso, president of the Dievole group, comes and picks me up in a muddy white jeep. On a bumpy drive, to say the least, he talks about Dievole’s new big project, which will be completed in the summer of 2021. Alejandro Bulgheroni is a South American oil magnate who has previously bought a vineyard in Chianti Classico, called Dievole, where wine has been produced since 1090, and that has given its name to all his wine business in Italy. He also owns two wineries in Montalcino: Podere Brizio and Poggio Landi. Now he is expanding in Bolgheri, with a vineyard that will produce wine under two names: Tenuta le Colonne and Tenuta Meraviglia. He also owns vineyards in Uruguay and Argentina.
The project in Bolgheri will consist of 95 hectares of vineyards. The wine will be divided into two different product lines. The prestigious wines will be bottled under the Tenuta Meraviglia brand, and the more easy-drinking wines will be named Tenuta Le Colonne. In total, Dievole will make 200,000 bottles in Bolgheri.
The bumpy road on the muddy gravel was worth the effort. The new winery they are building is impressive. The site is a former quarry that has not been in use since after World War II. When we reach the quarry, three workers hang in thick ropes along the steep cliff.
“They are setting up safety nets that a helicopter delivered yesterday,” says Stefano Capurso.
The facility was designed by the architectural firm Tori. It will be built on three stories and carved into the rock so that it is barely visible from the outside and fuse with the landscape. A tasting room will be constructed on the roof overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by a garden with Mediterranean herbs and plants.
“It will be a spectacular facility, but we are building it with the goal of being able to make excellent wines here with respect for the environment. On the lower level, we will store the wines, on the second level we do the vinification, and at the top, we have an office and tasting room,” says Stefano Capurso.
The vineyards that were taken over were in poor condition, and many new vines were planted. They will mainly focus on cabernet franc and not on merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot, for which the area is best known, not least through big names such as Masseto, Ornellaia and Sassicaia.
“We are newcomers here and had two choices. Either do as everyone else or do something completely new. We chose the latter”, says Stefano Capurso.
The soil varies, but in many places there is volcanic sand. The goal is to make organic wines that express their place of origin.
“Everything we do now, from choosing rootstocks to pruning and choosing clones, is with the aim to make elegant wines that retain freshness, simply more easy-drinking wines,” says Stefano.
We continue in the white jeep and come up the hill where the facility’s top floor will be. The view is stunning over Bolgheri’s gently rolling landscape with the ever-present sea in the background.
“Bolgheri has great potential. If I were a wine importer, I would focus on this particular area”, says Stefano Capurso.
He’s right. Many exciting things are happening in Bolgheri, but many still associate the area only with the heyday of the Super-Tuscans in the eighties and nineties. More and more winemakers, especially newcomers, and the younger generations, are investing in new grape blends. More and more people exchange their barriques for other storage vessels that do not give as strong a barrel character. These trends make many wines increasingly elegant compared to previous years’ blockbusters. Considering the first vintages of Dievole’s wines from Bolgheri, the future bodes well.
The wines from Dievole’s project in Bolgheri
Tenuta Le Colonne, Plenum, 2019, Costa Toscana IGT
A juicy wine made from merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah with silky tannins and elegant fresh finish. A perfect everyday wine considering that the price is around 10 euros a bottle.
Tenuta Meraviglia 2019 Vermentino Costa Toscana IGT
A fresh and fruity vermentino with a nose of peach, yellow apples, orange and summer flowers. Nicely preserved freshness that gives vitality to the taste of the ripe fruit. Balanced and easy to drink.
Tenuta Le Colonne Rosato 2019
A peach-coloured rosé wine made mostly from merlot and a small amount of syrah. The grapes are pressed immediately, before fermentation. A fruit-driven and accessible wine with lots of raspberries, red currants and a nicely retained freshness.
Tenuta Meraviglia 2018 Bolgheri DOC
An initially closed wine that needed time in the glass. Seventy per cent cabernet franc and thirty per cent cabernet sauvignon. A tight and spicy wine with noticeable tannins and very present acidity. A wine that needs to mature for a year or two. From 2020, the wine will be 100 per cent cabernet franc.
Tenuta Le Colonne 2018 Bolgheri DOC
A wine with lots of freshness, also made from seventy per cent cabernet franc but with thirty per cent merlot. Twenty per cent of the stems have been present during fermentation. Cherries, blackberries and roses in the aroma. The wine has distinct tannins that are balanced by the finely preserved fruit. A juicy and fresh wine.
La Meraviglia Maestro di Cava Bolgheri Superiore 2017
One hundred per cent cabernet franc. Complex berry aromas with lots of spice, black and white pepper, liquorice and Mediterranean herbs. A full-bodied wine with ripe tannins surrounded by ripe fruit tones that fill the mouth. Complex, herbal and elegant finish. Very good.
