Casa Raia is an organic estate in the Montalcino region of Italy. Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG red wines are made.

Owner: Kalyna Temertey-Canta (Italo-Canadian) and her husband Pierre-Jean Monnoyer (French. Corsican mother. Father from the Rhône. Born in Cannes 23 Sep 1975).

Background: Kalyna’s mother bought Podere Scarnacuoia in 1997. Italy and Montalcino have been the vacation spot for her and her children for decades. In the meantime, the abandoned farmhouse was gradually restored, while the vineyard was leased until 2005. The estate once belonged to the Biondi Santi family (One terraced Casa Raia vineyard is next to Biondi Santi’s first vineyard). Kalyna used to come here as a child. ‘My mother used to bring us here on holidays. As an artist, it was her life-long dream to have a house in Tuscany. She had a deep connection with Italy, for its natural beauty, but also its culture and history, so she brought us here. She always dreamed of buying this property, so one day she did [in 1996 it seems. 1997 was the first vintage when she was here] Many years later, when I met Pierre-Jean, my husband, we came here to work in the vineyards. We worked on some organic vineyards. We were encouraged to take on the vineyards on this property’, Kalyna told me (interview for GrapeCollective.com).

Terroir: The estate once belonged to the Biondi Santi family (One terraced Casa Raia vineyard is next to Biondi Santi’s first vineyard). It lies 0.6 miles (1km) from the town itself, lower down on the hill and on its own promontory surrounded by vineyards and olive groves

Vineyards: 2ha. 95%+ Sangiovese and less than 5% is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Canaiolo. They lie on a promontory beneath the Montalcino fortress, near Via Aldo Moro, at 365 metres (1,200 feet). Roughly between the Montosoli and Canalicchio zones. Mainly south south-west-facing. Clay–silica soils.

Pruning: Cordon de royat for vines producing Rosso di Montalcino and “Bevilo”; and double cordon on older vines for Brunello di Montalcino.

Terroir & Viticulture: Soil is partly of volcanic origin. The estate is said to escape the fog when it rolls in.’North-facing, we’re on a hill, so we have all the winds, the Tramontana, and the Sirocco for example. Plus, we’re very well exposed. On the south side, we have stone terraces, which is rather unusual in this area. The advantage of the stone terraces is, actually, the minerals that it brings to the grape. It definitely adds to the wine because of the minerals that come from the terrace walls. Our dream was to bring this vineyard back to life. This vineyard was already 40 years old, and it was going down in production. The winemakers at that time didn’t want it any longer because it wasn’t producing enough. We decided to take it on and to regenerate the land, the vineyards, the soil, and make a very high-quality product out of it, since it was small in quantity. We’re using all sorts of methods, from organic, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and biodynamics. We add green manure [cover crops] to build up organic matter in the soil and rebuild the microorganisms missing due to soil erosion. After many years of working the land and turning the soil, the soil had eroded and we needed to build it up again, and also create the life that’s in the soil,’ Kalyna told me (interview for GrapeCollective.com). The owners got some helpful advice from local winemakers Lionel Cousin of Cupano, from Francesca and Margherita Padovani from Campi di Fonterenza, and from Yan Erbach and Carolina Pobitzer at Pian dell’Orino.

Organic certification: 2010 First vintage with full organic certification (ICEA).

Winery: Underground winery in the main farm building with ventilation to keep air moving to avoid mould. Constant humidity and temperature. Ready for the 2009 harvest.

Toscana Rosso, Bevilo: ‘SuperTuscan from purchased organic grapes from a local family with a small vineyard. Mainly Sangiovese plus Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. | 2008 90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Ripe, but a bit simple (RAW 2012). | 2012 [Contains some 2010]. 2,500 bottles. Mid-weight, plump, sweet fruit, clear vanilla from the oak (Anteprima 2014). | 2013 09 mg/l total sulphites (RAW 2015).

Rosso di Montalcino DOC: 2008 Fermented in open vats and aged for two years in 2- and 3-year-old Taransaud barriques, smaller than those used for the Brunello because the Rosso must be marketed earlier than the Brunello. 14% alc. | 2009 2,500 bottles. Nice sweet French oak, decent (RAW 2012). Oaky red fruit, firm, bright and youthful (Visit 2013). | 2010 Plump, primary, sweet new oak sheen, populist with an appealing wildness (Anteprima 2014). | 2011 Dry year = low yields.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Casa Raia: 2008 1,200 bottles. Put most of the Brunello into the Rosso for cashflow. | 2009 3,800 bottles. 49mg/l total sulphites (RAW 2015). Savoury, well judged tannin, ripe, savoury and healthy berries with some new oak (Anteprima 2014). | 2010 3,900 bottles. Still in 30hl wooden vats. Quite woody and evolved, some acetone, but with nice fruit beneath (Anteprima 2015). 34mg/l total sulphites (RAW 2015). | 2011 Dry year = low yields. | 2015 3,030 bottles.

Contact

Casa Raia