Azienda Agricola San Quirico is an organic estate in Frazione Pancole in the San Gimignano region of Tuscany, Italy. Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG and DOCG Riserva whites are made. ​The estate also produces San Gimignano Rosso DOC and Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG red wines. Some San Gimignano Vin Santo DOC has also been made.

Owner: Husband and wife. Andrea Vecchione (good friend of Roberto Falchini). He is an agronomist and oenologist, who also consults to other local estates. Children are Isabella and Lapo (a Florentine name) who is an engineer. Andrea Vecchione’s great-grandfather bought the land in 1860. The house was built by Andrea Vecchione’s grandfather in 1900. In 1970 the first wines are bottled.

Vineyards: 100% in Pancole, north-west of the town of San Gimignano. 250m. Sand and clay. 30ha of vines of which 19.5ha Vernaccia di San Gimignano, 5.5ha Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG and 5ha of San Gimignano Rosso DOC.

Viticulture: Organic manure. Work the soil.

Organic certification: 2004 First vintage with full organic certification. | 2019 Still organic.

Winery: Simple rustic winery with wine tanks on the forecourt when I visited in 2005. Hand picked grapes, chilled. Fermentation in cement vats.

Sparkling wines

Vernaccia Spumante: Charmat method.

White wines

Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG, San Quirico: Hand picked. Pneumatic pressing under inert gas. After static separation of the lees at a low temperature, fermentation begins at a controlled temperature of 20 ° C. Once the evolution of sugars has been completed, the wine is decanted and cleaned until bottling. 2003 Good crisp clean basic wine (visit 2005). | 2012 Decent weight, citrus a bit uneven, and phenolic. Better picking, pressing and hygiene needed (Anteprima 2013). | 2018 20,000 bottles. Nice weight, creamy, very good entry wine for anyone seeking a benchmark Vernaccia (Anteprima 2019). | 2019 100% Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Hand picked. Pneumatic press, inert gas. Ferments at 20° C.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG Riserva, Campi Santi: From a single vineyard. 100% Vernaccia di San Gimignano. .| 2001 Unoaked. Clean, not a wine for ageing, but with authentic flavours (visit 2005).

Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG Riserva, Isabella: One of the best Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva wines. From a single vineyard from the highest-altitude vines. 100% Vernaccia. Hand picked. Pneumatic pressing under inert gas. After static separation of the lees at low temperature, the limpid must is placed in 23hl medium-small barrels in which fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature of 18 ° C with maintenance of the yeasts in suspension for about 120 days. | 1999 Fermented in botti of 57hl; 6 months on lees with stirring; then one year in stainless; this one starting to fade and a bit stinky too (visit 2005). | 2006 23hl. Aged in botti (French and Slavonian). Bit heavy and sherry-like, depth but badly made (Anteprima 2013). | 2008 24m in French tonneaux. Then aged in cement vats. Then bottled. 2017 Nice buttery-oaked style, salty and classic (Anteprima 2019).

Red wines

San Gimignano Rosso DOC, Adriano Merlot: 2018 Hand picked, destemmed. 70% of the berries are crushed. Traditional vinification with pumping over and punching down for 10/12 days at a controlled temperature, racking and racking into barrels of 15/20 Hl. of capacity for about 15 months.

IGT Toscana Rosso Botticello: Pre-seletion. Hand picked. Destemmed with soft breaking of about 70% of the berries, traditional vinification with pumping over and punching down for 10/12 days at a controlled temperature, racking and racking into barrels of 15/20 Hl. of capacity for about 15 months. | 2001 Light, green, dry and chaptalised (at dinner at Fattoria di Larniano 14th Feb 2005). | 2001 75% Sangiovese, 25% Cab Sauv. 18 months in botti. A bit stinky; light sweet fruit; genuine style (visit 2005).

Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG: 100% Sangiovese grapes. Hand picked. De-stemmed and softly pressed. On skins for 9/12 days. | 2003 100% Sangiovese. Cordon. 3-4has from early 1970s. Hand picked. Delicious fruit, decent, fresh, and a bit wild, also rustic (visit 2005).

Vin Santo

San Gimignano Vin Santo DOC: 2006 Produced.

Other crops: 2005 Saffron. 2019 6ha of olives.

Contact

Azienda Agricola San Quirico

Loc Pancole, 39

I-53037 San Gimignano (SI), Italy

Tel+39 0577.955007 Website: www.aziendasanquirico.it

Bibliography

Visit 15th Feb 2005

Vernaccia Anteprima 2019, Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, San Gimignano Wednesday 13th February.