Villa Le Prata is an estate winery in Località Le Prata in the Montalcino region of Tuscany, Italy. Its main wines are Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. The nearest winery to Villa Le Prata is Tenuta Le Potazzine.

Owner: Massimo Losappio, chief surgeon at Montalcino Hospital, and his wife Marialuce, a philosophy teacher, purchased the Villa in 1980. It was constructed in 1862 as a shooting lodge for hunting by Count Carlo de Vecchi, to host notables. It later became the country residence of the Bishop of Montalcino. The building is 1.8 miles (3km) in the high hilly area south-west of Montalcino. The first wine was bottled in 1992. The Losappio’s three children are called Benedetta Losappio (a lawyer by profession), Luca Losappio (who works in the co-op supermarket in Montalcino), and Bernardo Losappio who is a lawyer. Bernardo Losappio is married to Anna Vittoria Brookshaw, whose father was English. From 1995 the estate was mainly run by Luca and Anna, and Benedetta. From 2011 Anna Vittoria and Benedetta ran it together, and from 2013 Anna Vittoria has been in sole charge.

Staff: Consultant oen: Gioia Cresti.

Estate vineyards: Four vineyards in three diverse zones. The founder-owners planted their first hectare of Sangiovese at Loc. Le Prata near the Villa in 1987. In 2004 there were 3ha of vines. They later planted two vineyards in Loc. La Velona in Castelnuovo and added a fourth vineyard near the Villa via purchase. Altitudes vary from 210–510 metres.

Estate vineyards–Vigna Le Prata: The Le Prata vineyard as its name suggests at Le Prata itself, near the villa and winery in the North/East area of Montalcino, at the point where the road to Castiglion del Bosco divides between Camigliano and CastelGiocondo. One hectare of Sangiovese, spurred cordon. Planted in 1987 between century-old chestnut and wild cherry trees. Around 510 metres it seems. East-Western exposure. Soil: Clayey, sandy, of mixed consistency.

Estate vineyards–Vigna Massimo:

Estate vineyards–Vigna Rizzieri: At Loc. Le Prata by the winery.

Estate vineyards–Vigna Ramoni, Castelnuovo dell’Abate: Ramoni comprises one hectare and is located south of Montalcino, just below the town of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, at 210 metres of altitude. Planted in 2000 using the spurred cordon training system, it has East-West exposure. Soil: Clayey, sandy, of mixed consistency, with a good content of silt. Ramoni was initially called ‘Vigna La Velona’ but was renamed (I imagine) to avoid confusion with the La Velona winery.

Winemaking: Hand picked. Stainless steel fermentation tanks. Plots are fermented and aged apart. Ageing 30hl Slavonian oak botti and French oak tonneaux (500–700-litre).

Red wines

Leprata: 2000 a Merlot-Cabernet blend.

Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Tirso: 2002 Soft and creamy, alcoholic and green (Landmark Hotel 2004). | 2012 5,000 bottles. Nice, classic, ripe and clear, pretty good (Anteprima 2014). | 2013 2,666 bottles. Vat sample: bit tight and green but also some fruit (Anteprima 2015). | 2014 Bottled 5 days ago: fluid colour, wine, a bit dilute (Anteprima 2016).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Villa Le Prata: 1998 Green tannins (Landmark Hotel 2004). | 1999 Dry, green tannins (Landmark Hotel 2004). | 2000 Smoky, charmless, shame as good terroir (Anteprima 2005). | 2009 12,000 bottles. Wild, rich nose, very good density and balance of fruit and tannin (Anteprima 2014). | 2009 14.5%. L1/13. Cedar garnet colour. Pretty nose, quite classic, a good example of a medium weight style with simple fruit, light oak, for mid-term drinking at the Consorzio Tues 27th May 2014 with Ian d’Agata and others. | 2010 12,000 bottles. Bit burnt, tight, lacks a bit of fruit (Anteprima 2015). | 2011 Slightly evolved colour, sweet, fluid, bit stretched (Anteprima 2016).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva, Massimo: A selection of the best wines. Around 600 bottles. | 2010 New oak, depth and levity, nice forceful red, fruit and oak (Anteprima 2016).

Bed & breakfast: The building, a stone villa dating from 1860, is surrounded by a wide garden with trees. Two bedrooms. Spacious sitting rooms. Refurbished library. WiFi. Surrounded by a large garden with old trees.

Contact

Villa Le Prata

Località Le Prata, 261

53024 Montalcino (SI), Italy.

Website: www.villaleprata.com