Castello del Terriccio is a large estate in Località Terriccio in Castellina Marittima, Pisa province, Tuscany. The wines qualify for the Montescudaio DOC but are bottle under the Tuscany IGP.

Owner: Gian Annibale Rossi di Medelana Serafini Ferri. He inherited the estate from his great uncle, Conte Serafini Ferri. He was seriously injured in a riding accident when relatively young.

History: 4,200 acres of forest, cereals, olives, vines. The origins of the Terriccio estate are ancient. It is located where the Etruscans extracted iron and copper, traces of which can been seen today. During the period of the Maritime Republics the castle here became an important strategic outpost for the Republic of Pisa along the Tyrrhenian coast. In the 14th century the Bishop of Pisa conceded the castle, rights to its land and the rural buildings to Count Gaetani of Pisa. They controlled the estate for over five centuries. Subsequently the ‘Terriccio’ was gradually transformed into a farm, whose warehouses and production sites are partly still used today. At the end of the 18th century the estate was bought by the Polish Prince Poniatowski. After the First World War they sold it to Count Serafini Ferri. The Serafini Ferri family further enhanced the agricultural side of the Terriccio, increasing the cultivated area, planting olive groves and vineyards and completely renovating the rural buildings. Today the Terriccio, under the management of Gian Annibale Rossi di Medelana Serafini Ferri, is an important agricultural estate of 4,200 acres, part of which is put to use for organic cultivation of cereals, forage, olive trees and, in particular, grapes from which wines of great personality and reflective of their land are obtained.

Staff: Former manager Dr. Carlo Paoli (335.1284899). Marketing Olga-Sophia von Kirschten (South American-German. Tel 335.5376993. We met at LIWTF May 2003).

Estate vineyards: Montescudaio. hs (148 acres). Cabernet Sauvignon (the main grape), Merlot, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Syrah. Sangiovese at 100 metres. South-south-west. 5,500 vines/ha. Cordon.

White wines

Rondinaia: Rondinaia is named after a tower on the estate that gave shelter to the swallows (rondine in Italian). The two wavy blue lines of the label resemble the sea reflecting the sunlight on the vineyards. | 2000 Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer. | 2001 100% Chardonnay. | 2003 100% Chardonnay. 10,000 bottles.

Con Vento: Con Vento was named “With the wind” to describe the maritime breeze-swept vineyards. The two yellow zigzagged lines on the label represent the movement of the wheat exposed to the winds. | 2003 Sauvignon Blanc. 16,000 bottles.

Pink wines

Sassi Rosa: The name derives from the pink hued stones (the “Sassi Rosa”) that can be found in the vineyards. This latest wine, a limited edition of only 5,000 bottles, is born out of a collaboration with winemaker Graziana Grassini.

Red wines

Castello del Terriccio: 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. A bit lean and green and hot alcohol and aggressive acidity but a tight style of tannin and an over-ripe style of fruit; not hugely convincing at the Bolgheri wine route office on Tues 22 Feb 2005. | 2004 Syrah, Petit Verdot. 18 months oak. | 2006 50% Syrah, 25% Petit Verdot. £30-59.99. Exotic smoky orange peel nose, evolving, warm and raisiny (Gold, DWWA 2013).

Tassinaia: The grapes of Tassinaia come from 37.5 acres of vineyards with sandy, stony soil and a moderating maritime climate characterized by a long ripening season. On the label two green segments symbolize the grassland of Terriccio. | 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc. 110,000 bottles. Smoky wood, bit dry and heavy, sweet alcohol, not really going to go anywhere, lots of over-ripeness at the Bolgheri wine route office on Tues 22 Feb 2005. | 2004 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, 40% Sangiovese. 14 months in Allier. | 2006 33% each Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. £15-29.99. Ripe animal, meat and leather. (Bronze, DWWA 2013).

Capannino: Capannino takes its name from an estate on the farm where the show horse stables are. It is now a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. | 1997 Produced. Its next vintage was 2002. | 2003 100% Sangiovese [from young vines it seems, planted at the end of the 1990s]. 22,000 bottles. Distinctive, almost sweaty nose, perhaps a bit of VA but also ripe soft black berry fruit, almost a bit medicinal at the Bolgheri wine route office on Tues 22 Feb 2005.

Lipicaia: The top wine. Super Tuscan. The two characteristic red-brown parallel segments on the label symbolize the typical red colour of the soil in the vineyards. Lupicaia is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. 18 months in new French Allier barrels. | 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot. High tone bacon on the nose which is a bit worrying; and also some odd dry wood and VA on the palate; not great; fading fast at the Bolgheri wine route office on Tues 22 Feb 2005. | 2001 30,000 bottles. 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Aged in new oak for 18 months. | 2005 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. £60+. Deep, ripe blackcurrants, sweet, dense and monotone, bit metallic (Bronze: DWWA 2013).

Contact

Az Ag Castello del Terriccio

Loc. Terriccio, Via Bagnoli, 20

I-56040 Castellina Marittima (PI = Pisa), Italy

Tel+39 0506.99709 | www.terriccio.it