Tenuta di Biserno

History

The project began in 2001, when brothers Piero and Lodovico Antinori, together with their nephew Niccolò Marzichi Lenci, who currently serves as managing director, recognised the potential of the Bibbona hills and set about conducting a detailed survey of the land.

The Antinori family has been making wine in Tuscany for over 600 years, and Lodovico, in particular, was well known for his previous work at ‘Ornellaia’, an estate he founded in Bolgheri in the 1980s and sold in 2002. Having discovered the land in Bibbona whilst searching for new vineyard sites even before the sale of Ornellaia, he returned to it as soon as the opportunity arose. A systematic study of the soils led to the identified plots being divided into three distinct and unique production units, each of which is now managed as an independent estate.

Vineyards

The project encompasses three estates. ‘Tenuta di Biserno’ itself covers around 40 hectares at an altitude of approximately 90 metres above sea level and is the heart of the entire estate, where the flagship wines are produced. ‘Tenuta Campo di Sasso’ covers around 56 hectares; here, rows of vines alternate with arable land and woodland on a plot strongly influenced by sea breezes from the Tyrrhenian coast. Tenuta Collemezzano is the smallest of the three, covering 5 hectares; its vineyards were planted in the mid-1990s and have only recently come to be managed as a separate cru.

Together, these three estates cover around 100 hectares of vineyards.

Terroir

The geological diversity of the three estates is one of the defining features of the project. The soils at Biserno are mainly alluvial and clay-limestone, which are well suited to the Bordeaux varieties grown here. The soils at Campo di Sasso are predominantly sandy, and their microclimate is shaped by constant sea breezes, which lower temperatures and reduce humidity in the vineyard during the summer. The soils at Collemezzano consist of a balanced mixture of pebbles, sand, silt and clay; they are rich in minerals and well-drained. The diversity between the individual plots was largely the reason why the Antinori brothers decided to create separate brands for each of them.

Grapes

All three estates grow exclusively or predominantly Bordeaux varieties. Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot form the basis of the Biserno and Collemezzano estates. ‘Campo di Sasso’ adds Syrah, Sangiovese and Vermentino to this range, giving this estate a slightly more diverse character.

Winemaking

The winemaking consultant is Michel Rolland, an oenologist from Bordeaux who has also worked with Lodovico Antinori at Ornellaia. His influence is evident in the meticulous approach taken to each plot: grapes from each plot are vinified separately and then blended to create each wine. The estate holds SQNPI certification for integrated pest management, applying responsible agricultural practices across all three estates.

Wines

The range comprises six wines produced across the three estates. ‘Biserno’, the flagship wine, is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, made from the finest grapes of the main estate and produced since the 2006 vintage.

‘Il Pino di Biserno’ is the second wine from the same estate, characterised by a more approachable style and made from the same grape varieties.

‘Collemezzano’ is a cru from the smallest estate, produced only in the best vintages.

The “Campo di Sasso” estate produces “Insoglio del Cinghiale”, a more varied blend including Syrah and Occhione, and “Rissoa”, a white wine made from Vermentino.