The forthcoming denomination highlights the specificities of 12 different sub-areas within Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany’s noble, Sangiovese-based wine.
New York, NY, February 28, 2022 – Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is already known as one of Italy’s noblest red wines, a Sangiovese-based gem that offers quality and complexity alongside approachability and value. Now, this Tuscan DOCG has something new in store: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pieve, a forthcoming denomination that will highlight the unique characteristics of 12 specific zones within the region.
The special Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wine comes from the vineyards that cover the rolling hills surrounding Montepulciano, a hilltop town benefiting from sunny, warm days and cool nights. But the Montepulciano region is extraordinarily diverse, with distinct microclimates and a vast array of soil types—something that the new Pieve designation hopes to highlight.
The Consortium spent over a year conducting intensive research into the region’s geology and geography, revealing 12 specific zones, or Unità Geografiche Aggiuntives (UGA), that produce wines with individual, key characteristics. The name “Pieve” references the many pievi, or churches, that existed in these areas over centuries past, and each Pieve wine will feature distinctive characteristics that tie it to the area’s rich, local winemaking traditions.
The new Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pieve DOCG will sit above both Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Reserve, representing the pinnacle of wines from this region. The grape blend must be Sangiovese-based, with other approved, native grape varieties, and all grapes must be exclusively grown by the producer.
Specifications for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pieve have been approved by the assembly and await approval by the Ministry of Agriculture. The region anticipates that once approved, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pieve could be applied retroactively to the 2020 harvest, so the first vintage of these wines could be released onto the market in 2024.
Dive into the specific Pieve zones further:
- Ascianello (North): Located north of Montepulciano and dotted with country homes, Ascianello is home to finer sands overlaid with a silty clay sediment. The soils are deeper towards the bottom of the valley near the Salarco River, which impacts the microclimate.
- Argiano (Southeast): Covered in forests until around 1100, the silty soils here are calcareous. In lower parts of Argiano, fluviolacustrine terraces feature sands with small, siliceous pebbles.
- Badia (North): Named after an ancient Benedictine abbey, Badia has slopes with clay and sand soils. It also has fluviolacustrine terraces near the valley floor, with small, siliceous pebbles.
- Caggiole (North): A hamlet in Val di Chiana with its own parish, Caggiole features coarse sands and lenticular levels of cobbles. In the northern part of the UGA, the sands are calcareous, while downward there are sandy, browner soils.
- Cerliana (Northeast): The soils are clayey-silty here, with sandy textures in between. The soils become deeper towards the valley floor thanks to the alluvial terraces of the Salcheto and Ciarliana streams.
- Cervognano (Southeast): Located to the east of Montepulciano, Cervognano’s hilly part features silty soils above compact sands. Near the Salcheto and Ciarliana streams, it has flat terraces of clays and sands with small, siliceous pebbles.
- Gracciano (North): This UGA has soils that develop on fluviolacustrine terraces—sands with small, siliceous pebbles and a loamy/sandy clay texture.
- Le Grazie (North): An outer village to the north of Montepulciano, Le Grazie’s upper part is characterized by sands and fine sands. Towards the bottom, where slopes are more irregular, they are calcareous, deep, and clayey.
- San Biagio (West): The upper parts of San Biagio have soils on sandy sediments, with a sandy, loamy texture. On the more undulating slopes, soils are silty-clay and calcareous. The area is bounded by the Fosso dei Grilloni.
- Sant’Albino (South): Located halfway between Montepulciano and Chianciano, in a cavernous ravine, Sant’Albino is a wide valley stretching eastward. In the upper part, the soils are sandy and often reddish-brown, particularly near the town of Sant’Albino. Towards the bottom, sandy clays, silts, and clay with sand is more common.
- Valardegna (Southeast): A small town located right next to Montepulciano, the soils are characterized by coarse sands and lenticular levels of pebbles, with a sandy loam texture. In the lower part of the UGA, the soils become more clayey.
- Valiano (East): East of Val di Chiana, Valiano is hilly, with fluviolacustrine origin. The soils are characterized by sandy clays with a hazelnut color and nodules of calcium carbonate.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wines have always been thrilling, delicious, and easy to explore and enjoy; with the forthcoming Pieve denomination, they just got even more exciting.
