Dear Friends, this year I send you some notes on the Harvest written by Fabio who has been working with me for 2 years during which he wholly experienced all works, and now he is responsible for all commercial movements, and he is the reference point of our clients and agents.As you know I see my job of producer as a job with ancient roots and modern accomplishment, and in reproducing the scheme of work of a peasant family, I thought of joining young collaborators professionally prepared, where we share our lives and opinions.
In 1974, quite by chance, I had the opportunity to move from Varese to Castagneto Carducci, and from the Agricultural School of the University of Milan, to that of Pisa.I began working as a student on a fruit and vegetable farm, which belonged to somebody who wanted to modernise his farm.
I encountered a method of agriculture that was just emerging from the share-cropping system, and attempting to keep pace with the rapid mechanisation and development of modern agricultural techniques. In practice I spent all day with the farm workers, from whom I learn much. They gave me a passion for the daily relationship with an environment that is above all based on friendship.
I am marked by a love of the land and for this work, and am enthused with the energy needed to meet the demands of Nature and reap her rewards.
The other decisive factor is the love of a wonderful woman, Lucia, who has followed me right from the beginning, and with whom I have a large family, Caterina, Anna, Benedetta, Veronica, Maria and Giacomo. So with their encouragement I have worked to create my own wine estate.
Lucia has been involved in the enterprise for many years and today is as enthusiastic about making wine as I am.
The name Castagneto appeared for the first time with the foundation of the Monastery of S. Peter in Palazzolo in Monteverdi (754). It originates from castaneum, which is linked to the cultivation of the soil; while Monteverdi comes from Monteviride, Suvereto from suber (cork oak), Sassetta from saxum (rock), Segalari from secale (rye).
The Vigna al Cavaliere is in the adjoining area, on the northern edge of Michele Satta's estate, along the road that for centuries has led down from Castagneto towards Pievi. The cavaliere to which the name refers was Angiolo Bottai, from Castagneto a light cavalryman of the Grand Duchy, which owned this part of the coast at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The area was also described as Chiusa del Cavaliere.
Luciano Bezzini "Vini Bolgheri e di Castagneto Carducci".
The estate was created in 1984, at the moment when I decided to leave my previous occupation of farm management in order to take the risk of becoming a specialist.My passion for the land brought me from Varese to Castagneto after completing my university studies. I became fascinated by a product like wine which involves technical as well as cultural aspects. Instinct told me that I should aspire to the highest level of achievement in this field and the moment I met Attilio Pagli, I knew that I was destined to become a wine grower.
After what was a very difficult beginning, with various problems stemming from leasing property and so on, we started building a cellar.That was in 1988.
The 1990 vintage, which revealed the great potential of the Sangiovese grape to me, also marked the first use of oak barrels on the estate., initially 220 litre barrels, and then in 1992, casks of 10 and 35 hectolitres, in which the maceration takes place..
I planted my first experimental vineyard in 1991 (2.5 hectares) with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. These two grape varieties show great expression and character in the area of Bolgheri, while Sangiovese is my favourite variety.At the same time I also decided to experiment with the potential for Syrah..
In 1997 I purchased seven hectares which bordered my property, thus consolidating the estate, and continued planting vineyards according to my own criteria, and enlarged the cellar to the size it is today, by excavating into the rock to build underneath the hill below our vineyards.I finally had enough space to age all my red wine in barriques..
Then in rapid succession I bought other adjoining vineyards, making a total of 10 hectares, and I also planted vines on land rented under a long lease, so that I now have a total of 25 hectares, planted with vines which all express the great potential of this area.
The result is not only beautiful in the perspective of human relations between us, but also it's surprising for the professional contents. Each one is attending to his own job with care and passion and in the end wines are better!
Il risultato non solo è bellissimo come clima umano cordiale tra di noi ma anche sorprendente come contenuti professionali.Ogni particolare compito è svolto con cura e dedizione e alla fine i vini sono più buoni!
All the setting of my job is based on the respect of what wine truly is: an expression of a plant, of the terroir, of a vintage. Every choice in the vineyard and in the cellar is made by developing this unique harmony that is in wine from its origin.
According to that I don't like to think at my job of wine producer as auctor of something (winemaker) but rather as the interpretor of a wonderful richness that specially in Bolgheri is given by the nature and needs the job of men for being putted in a bottle and communicated to other men.