Misplaced Pages

#574425

26-697: Fiorano was an Italian wine -producing estate owned by Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi , a prince of Venosa of the Ludovisi family , active during a period from the late 1940s to 1995. Fiorano is situated in the vicinity of Rome near the Via Appia Antica in the Latium district. Famed wine writer Burton Anderson dubbed Fiorano's wines 'the noblest Romans of them all' in his 1980 anthology Vino. The estate, its methods, wines and its proprietor were all noted for their unorthodoxy in comparison to norms of

52-543: A 2001 interview, Boncompagni Ludovisi stated that his reasons were the vines' advanced age and poor health. Due to his poor health Prince Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi went to live in Rome. His cousin Prince Paolo Boncompagni Ludovisi and his son Alessandrojacopo came to help him run the estate. Recognizing Alessandrojacopo’s passion for the job, Prince Alberico gave him the replanting rights and

78-560: A small portion of the estate and, considering him as his successor, suggested he replant the vineyard ( The Prince said he would destroy all his vines rather than see Piero get hold of them. I do not think he likes the modern methods that Piero uses to make Antinori wine. When the Prince was asked if he would save the vines for his grandchildren, he said that they learned about wine from their father, Piero, and not from him. ). Under Prince Alberico’s precise instructions, Alessandrojacopo restored

104-436: A total of some 200 hectares including vineyards, olive groves, and crop and pasture land. And above all there is the historic cellar with the wines that Prince Alberico so jealously conserved and where only a lucky few, including Veronelli, were allowed to visit. Out of respect for Prince Alberico Alessandrojacopo continues this tradition even today. From a vineyard area of 10 hectares (25 acres ), three wines were produced at

130-620: A trend. Prince Boncompagni Ludovisi also practiced organic agriculture during an era when chemical agriculture methods were more commonplace. This happened after consultation with Dr. Giuseppe Palieri who remained an advisor until his death. Later, Boncompagni Ludovisi received advice from Dr. Tancredi Biondi Santi, of whom he was a fan since tasting a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino Biondi Santi 1946 which he described in letter to him as "a majestic red, severe, masculine, medieval". The wines were almost unknown until Italy's famous wine and food critic Luigi Veronelli discovered them by chance in

156-745: A widespread culture of white mold that covered the barrels and bottles , which Boncompagni Ludovisi believed to be beneficial to his production and left to develop undisturbed. Italian wine Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 195712998 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:44:33 GMT Antinori 43°38′43″N 11°08′00″E  /  43.6452066°N 11.1332392°E  / 43.6452066; 11.1332392 Marchesi Antinori Srl

182-520: A winemaker with a reputation associated with the modernist wine movement. When Boncompagni Ludovisi pulled out nearly all Fiorano vines following the 1995 harvest while giving no explanation, subsequent rumours claimed this was in order to prevent his son-in-law from ruining the Fiorano legacy. Antinori told Eric Asimov that he believed Boncompagni Ludovisi could not bear the thought of anybody else making his wines after he could no longer do it himself. In

208-589: Is an Italian wine company, based in Florence , Tuscany , that can trace its history back to 1385. They are one of the biggest wine companies in Italy, and their innovations played a large part in the " Super-Tuscan " revolution of the 1970s. Antinori is a member of the Primum Familiae Vini and the 10th oldest family owned company in the world. Rinuccio di Antinoro is recorded as making wine at

234-623: The Palazzo Antinori , built for the Boni family in the 1460s. At this time, Alessandro Antinori was one of the richest men in Florence, but like many Florentines he was soon bankrupted by the ravages of Charles V of Spain and the economic effect of his New World gold. Nonetheless the family prospered in the ensuing peace and gained the title of Marquis from the House of Habsburg-Lorraine in

260-510: The 18th century. In the second half of the 16th century, Bernardino Antinori had a relationship with Dianora di Toledo , wife of Pietro de' Medici the son of Cosimo I . Pietro, who was known at the time for his brutality and dishonesty, discovered the relationship, accused his wife of adultery and strangled her with a dog leash in July 1576 at the Villa Medici at Cafaggiolo . Bernardino

286-619: The Castello di Combiate near the Tuscan town of Calenzano in 1180. The castello was destroyed in 1202, and the family moved to Florence , where they were involved in silk weaving and banking. In 1385, Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Guild of Winemakers, and this is the date usually taken as the start of the wine business. The fame of their wine expanded over the years, to the extent that in 1506 they could afford to pay 4,000 florins for

SECTION 10

#1732779873575

312-614: The Italian wine industry, leading to far-reaching changes in rules and attitudes. Although the Chianti Classico DOCG rules have changed to accommodate wines such as Tignanello, the Antinoris continue to sell it as a Toscana IGT wine. Emboldened by the success of the 20% Bordeaux blend Tignanello, in 1978 Antinori launched Solaia - containing 80% Cabernet Sauvignon - from the neighbouring vineyard. Antinori responded to

338-440: The Prince was unusually stubborn. According to Mariani: 'The Prince never really wanted to sell the wines. He made it very difficult; one had to call up to order the wines and come in person to collect them on the assigned day at a specified time and bring the exact amount in cash. They would not give change, and cheques were out of the question.' In 1966 Prince Boncompagni Ludovisi's sole daughter Francesca married Piero Antinori ,

364-555: The Semillon, a variety that has never had much success in Italy, astounded Veronelli. The relationship between Boncompagni Ludovisi and his wine merchants has been described as strained due to the Prince's eccentric manner of doing business. Over time, import of the wines ceased, and although wine was made until 1995, the sale of bottles had ended some time before. Elio Mariani, owner of the Checchino restaurant in Rome, confirms that

390-524: The early 1960s. Veronelli recounted his first meeting with the Prince: 'I was in Latium writing on the region's wines, and while driving on the ancient Appian Way I spotted the most beautiful vineyards. I followed the road until I came to an imposing estate where I stopped and rang the bell. When nobody responded I tried the gate and found it open. Audaciously I went in and was walking around when I suddenly heard

416-411: The estate: one Rosso, a red Bordeaux-style blend from plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; and two white varietal wines, a Sémillon and a Malvasia di Candia. The grapes are pruned to extremely reduced yields described as "ridiculously low", which resulted in marked levels of flavor concentration. The wine is aged in large numbered barrels that are reused every year. The Fiorano cellars have

442-901: The inflation of the 1980s and 1990s with a frantic programme of investment in wineries and vineyards, most notably the Atlas Peak winery in California in 1985, and 325 hectares around Badia a Passignano in 1987. They also expanded into Piedmont and Apulia , and set up joint ventures in Bátaapáti, Hungary, Stag's Leap and Col Solare in the USA, Malta, Romania, and Chile. Antinori took complete ownership of Col Solare in 2024. Antinori also owns and partners in retail outlets such as Cantinetta Antinori and "Procacci" in Via Tornabuoni in Florence, Italy. The retail presence even extends to

468-430: The making of the wine which is still done with the same craftsmanship as under Prince Alberico. In other words, Alberico gave all his past experience. Alessandrojacopo inherited Tenuta di Fiorano estate after Prince Alberico died in 2005, enhanced its vineyards and put Fiorano Rosso back on the market starting with vintage 2006. Today Tenuta di Fiorano is run by Prince Alessandrojacopo Boncompagni Ludovisi and extends for

494-450: The sound of horse hooves racing up behind me. I turned and found myself looking down the barrel of a gun.' After Veronelli explained who he was and his interest in the vineyards, the Prince invited Veronelli to try his wines. 'As soon as I tried his wines, I knew he truly was a prince' said Veronelli, who convinced him to sell some of the wines, up to then only for personal consumption. Luigi Veronelli stated that Prince Boncompagni Ludovisi

520-438: The vineyard by planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to resume production of Fiorano Rosso wine. As for the white grapes, Prince Alberico insisted that the old varieties be abandoned in favor of Grechetto and Viognier to make Fiorano Bianco wine. Alessandrojacopo did everything Prince Alberico told him to do, from the choice of soils, to the clones and the system of vine-training, all done by organic method, right through to

546-459: The wine industry. Though limited in terms of fame, the red wine and two white wines produced at Fiorano during its period of activity achieved reputations for innovation and longevity . Since the late 1960s a small number of devout 'cognoscenti', especially among restaurant owners in Rome, knew about the extraordinary qualities of the two whites Fiorano Bianco (100% Malvasia) and Fiorano Riserva Semillon, and overcame numerous obstacles in order to get

SECTION 20

#1732779873575

572-571: The wine was ineligible for the Chianti Classico appellation; from the vintage 1975 onwards, the blend contained Cabernet Sauvignon. Technically Tignanello was not the first 'Super Tuscan' – that honour goes to Sassicaia , created by a relative of the Antinoris, the Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta – even though the Antinoris were experimenting with Cabernet blends since the 1920s. But it was Tignanello that really shook up

598-684: The wines. While the Boncompagni Ludovisi family lineage may be traced back ca. 1,000 years, the Fiorano estate, located 14 km (8.7 mi) from Rome, had viticulture from local grape varieties first starting in the 1930s. Prince Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi inherited the estate in 1946, and replaced the existing vines with the Bordeaux international grape varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot and Sémillon as well as Malvasia di Candia . This change of viticultural direction took place several years ahead of what later became

624-559: Was arrested and later killed in prison. Cosimo I exiled his son Pietro to Spain. In 1900, Piero Antinori bought several vineyards in the Chianti Classico region, including 47 hectares at Tignanello. His son Niccolò scandalised Tuscany in 1924 by making a Chianti containing Bordeaux wine varieties. He continued to experiment over the following years with new blends, types of barrel, temperature control and bottle ageing . Niccolò retired in 1966, to be replaced by his son Piero who

650-518: Was even more innovative. He investigated early harvesting of white grapes, different types of barrique , stainless steel vats and malolactic fermentation of red wines . The real revolution came in 1974 with the launch of Tignanello's first vintage, 1971: a barrique-aged wine from the vineyard bearing the same name containing Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc . Although the initial blend did not yet contain any Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc, no white grape varieties were used, which meant that

676-445: Was the first to employ "biological farming" practices in Italy. He compared Fiorano red wines to Sassicaia , and once wrote of them, "They enchant you with the first taste, burrow in your memory and make you forever better", and, "If I lived in Rome, I would beg for them at the prince's door every morning". It was the whites though that most impressed him. The Fiorano Bianco from Malvasia di Candia soared to new heights of complexity while

#574425