Tenuta di Biserno
Overview
Origin of Tenuta di Biserno
In 1994, while looking for additional land to expand his Tenuta dell’Ornellaia vineyard, Marchese Lodovico Antinori discovered the property of Tenuta di Biserno near Bibbona. What he found, however, had so much potential he was inspired to develop a quite different plan. With more hills and stones than nearby Bolgheri, this land appeared to be ideally suited to produce a new and different wine. In 2001 Lodovico and his brother, Piero, established Tenuta di Biserno as an elite wine estate.
Antinori Family History
The Antinori family has been making wine for more than 600 years, since Giovanni di Piero Antinori became part of the Vintners Guild of Florence in 1385. Throughout its long history — spanning 26 generations — the Antinori family has always personally managed the business, making innovative, often courageous choices, always with unwavering respect for tradition and the land.
Tenuta di Biserno continues the Antinori family’s legacy. The partnership between Lodovico and Piero is the first joint venture outside and separate from their family’s historic wine business, where they worked together briefly before Lodovico shifted focus to Tenuta dell’Ornellaia in the early 1980s. This milestone in the Antinori family history is something that would have delighted their late father, Marchese Niccolò Antinori.
The pedigree and success of each brother is undeniable and supported by such recognition as each having made a wine that has won Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year in its annual Top 100: Piero for his Solaia 1997 in 2000 and Lodovico for his Ornellaia 1998 in 2001. Both Lodovico and Piero have the natural gift of being able to interpret vineyard parcels and match each parcel with ideal grape varieties and growing techniques. This talent, combined with both brothers’ years of experience, makes Tenuta di Biserno a unique and momentous project.
People
Tenuta di Biserno is a joint venture between Marchese Lodovico and Piero Antinori. Lodovico provides the day-to-day guidance for the estate. Helena Lindberg is the winemaker, with Michel Rolland in a consulting winemaker capacity. Ranieri Orsini is the vineyard manager.
Location
Tenuta di Biserno is located in the western reaches of Tuscany’s Alta Maremma, in Bibbona. It borders its southern neighbor, the Bolgheri region, and is roughly four miles east of the Mediterranean’s Thyrrhenian Sea. Given its proximity to Bolgheri, it’s not surprising that when Lodovico Antinori first came to the estate, he was struck by the similarity in terroir compared to that of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia in Bolgheri. However, Tenuta di Biserno has far more hillside slopes and a great many stones in the vineyards.
Vineyard
The Tenuta di Biserno estate is comprised of approximately 150 acres divided into three vineyards planted to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Syrah. The entire area is heavily influenced by its proximity to the coast, but the varieties selected for each of the 30 parcels that make up the planted acres were carefully selected based on slope, soil composition, exposure and the influence of sea breezes.
Winery
Slated for commencement in the next few years, a winery designed by world-renowned architect, Gae Aulenti (some of her most celebrated designs include Paris’ Musée d’Orsay and the new Musée National d’Art Moderne), will be built on the estate. The state-of-the-art, gravity-flow winery will be located in the center of the vineyards, on a picturesque field, and will include underground cellars. The wines are currently crafted at a well-equipped winery in the nearby village of La California, which Lodovico built for exclusive use until the new winery can be completed.
Wines
Tenuta di Biserno will eventually produce three wines. Currently there are two wines, including Insoglio del Cinghiale Toscana IGT, a supple blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot; and Il Pino di Biserno Toscana IGT, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The flagship wine, Biserno, will debut in 2009 with the 2006 vintage. It has a similar composition to Il Pino, but will more clearly express the painstaking attention devoted to the estate’s viticulture and winemaking processes. A fourth wine, Coronato, is produced from the nearby Tenuta dei Pianali estate vineyard.
Visitors Center and Relais Biserno
In the center of the vineyards lies Relais Biserno, an old manor house that has been beautifully restored and is used for hosting estate guests. The Relais offers beautiful sea views across a breathtaking panorama of the Tenuta di Biserno vineyards and is surrounded by stunning flora, including an olive tree grove.
