Tenuta La Striscia
Chianti, Tuscany
Among the vineyards of the Aretine Hills, just 1 km far away from the historical center of Arezzo, was built in 1500 and enlarged in 1800, has been restored and transformed into five charming and warmly-colored apartments. The estate includes the villa, a park, and the vineyards for a total of 14.4 Hectares. Once the summer residence of the Occhini family from Florence, the villa, currently leased to a private organization and managed by Ilaria Occhini, a well-known Italian television and stage actress whose success was at its peak between 1960 and 1970. Ilaria Occhini has dedicated herself to restoring the farm adjoining the villa, transforming it into a 5-apartment country inn.
The farm’s vineyards comprise 14.4 hectares of high-quality Chianti DOCG vineyards. In 2000, the winery launched a vineyard re-structuring program, adopting the most up-to-date practices, replanting vineyards with South and Southeast exposition. This philosophy, in conjunction with a modernized cellar, has yielded a new wine, beginning with the 2001 vintage, OCCHINI IGT, a Tuscan red wine.
- Viticulture: Organic and Biodynamic, some limiting yields by winter pruning and green management and thinning out of bunches.
- Training: Spurred cordon
- Area: 15 hectares of D.O.C.G. Chianti vineyards and 4 hectares of olive groves
- Climate: Semi-maritime, mild with no dry season, warm summers and moderate seasonality
- Soil: Galestro
- Yield: 7,5 tons per hectare from 5,500 vines per hectare
- Hand harvested estate grown grapes
- Vinification: is done with perfectly ripe grapes in vitrified cement vats, through spontaneous fermentation. Malolactic fermentation takes place naturally in barriques, where the wine matures for about 12 months before bottling
- Ageing: occurs in barriques (Merlot Lastriscia) and large oak barrels (Occhini wine), where the wines mature for some 12 months. The wines are then bottled and stored in the cellar of the villa.
- Varietals: Sangiovese, and to a lesser extent, Merlot, Cabernet, Colorino and Malvasia Nero.
The Wines:
Chianti San Bernardino
- 85% Sangiovese, 15% Colorino, Canaiolo and Merlot
- vinified in glass lined cement vats using natural yeast. No fining or filtering
- Aged 6 months in glass lined cement vats and 2 months in bottle.
- Exclusively indigenous yeast.
- Very small amount of sulfur at bottling
- 3333 cases made.
Merlot Toscana IGT
- 90% Merlot from cru “Bagnoro,” 10% Sangiovese
- vinified 12 months in medium toast
- French barrique
- 10 months in bottle
- Very small amount of sulfur at bottling.
“Occhini,” Sangiovese di Toscana IGT
- 100% Sangiovese from cru “Fontasciutta”(old vines)
- vinified in large truncated Slovanian oak barrels. No fining or filtering.
- Exclusively indigenous yeast.
- Very small amount of sulfur at bottling.
