Podere Le Bèrne is an estate winery (with its own restaurant) in the highly regarded Cervognano area in the southern sector of the Montepulciano region in Tuscany.

Owner: The Natalini family.

Staff: Consultant oenologist: Paolo Vagaggini.

Le Bèrne’s main wines are Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Rosso di Montepulciano DOC and Vin Santo di Montepulciano DOC. The estate was founded in 1960 by Egisto Natalini and his son Giuliano, after the Italian share-cropping system came to an end. Egisto sold his grapes, then started making his own wines with his son Andrea. In 1995 Giuliano’s son Andrea (a land surveyor) took over, with Paolo Vagaggini. as his winemaking consultant. The name Le Bèrne derives from the Etruscan term Verna or Verena meaning hillock, or what in Tuscan is called a ‘Poggio’.

Vineyard area: 18.5 hectares (45.7 acres) of land in Cervognano, of which 10 hectares (24.7 acres) are vines. Of this, 5.5 hectares (13.5 acres) are Vino Nobile, 2.7 hectares (6.7 acres) are Rosso di Montepulciano DOC, and 0.14 hectares (0.35 acres) are Vin Santo di Montepulciano DOC. Pliocene soil. Altitude of 350 metres (1,150 feet).

Wine production: 45,000 bottles.

Red wines

IGT Toscana Rosso, L’Attesa: 75% Colorino, 25% Mammolo.

IGT Toscana Rosso, L’Affronto: 2011 Colorino and Mammolo.

Rosso di Montepulciano DOC: 2012 Soft open style, simple, for quick drinking, subtle fruit and clean (Anteprima 2014).

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG: 2011 97% Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese), 3% Colorino 3%. Light, sweet fruit, some old-viney character at the Anteprima del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 17th Feb 2014. | 2015 Dense blackberry, vanilla (oak) overlay (Anteprima 2018). | 100% Sangiovese. Aged in oak barrels (40%) and vats (60%) 14% alc. Bright, simple, appealing (Anteprima 2019).

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG Riserva: 2002 From the 1950s vines. Lovely original freshness and flavour, perhaps a touch too much old wood and dirt in the finish but decent and refreshing and one of the best in this tasting at the consorzio on Tuesday 8th March 2005. | 2009 Bottled. | 2010 Bottled. |  2015 97% Sangiovese, 3% Colorino. 60% new barrels, 40% wooden vats. Youthful unevenness with some evolved flavours (Anteprima 2019).

Vin Santo

Vin Santo di Nobile di Montepulciano, Ada

Other activities: Le Bèrne also produces a small quantity of extra virgin olive oil.

Contact

Podere le Bèrne

Fraz Cervognano

Via Poggio Golo, 7

53040 Montepulciano (SI), Italy

Tel+39 0578.767328 | Website: www.leberne.it