LOCATION

The Tenuta di Sesta Estate is located in the southern part of the municipality of Montalcino between Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate, near the well-known Romanesque Abbey of Sant'Antimo, on a downward slope from 400 to 200 metres above sea level.

This land is considered to be among the most suitable for the production of Brunello di Montalcino.

The vineyards are sheltered from the cold northern winds and benefit from the warm stream of air from the Maremma thanks to the nearby Monte Amiata favouring a mild microclimate. This enchanting location allows Sesta to harvest before other areas.

SOIL COMPOSITION

All of the cultivated land on the estate dates back to the Eocene period and is poor, of little depth, and affords a rich rocky texture with limestone (marl and alberese), sub-alkaline pH, generally medium texiture tending to clayey. An efficient drainage system has been installed to guarantee high quality wines.

The vineyards are spread out over a strip of land that extends from the winery down to the Orcia River: the type of terrain varies with mostly medium-textured soil with a major clay component, rich in iron (red soil, more resistant to dry conditions located at the hightest point of the estate) and pebbly terrain on looser pebbly terrain (vineyards near the riverbed).

However, the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil vary even within the same vineyard resulting in differences in vine development: sometimes the grapes in the different zones must therefore be harvested and vinified separately according to the level of ripeness.

THE VINEYARDS

The training system used in all vineyards is spurred cordon: each plant brings four or five “spurs” to the cordon on which the buds originate as do the shoots for the year’s production. Although this training system allows for some mechanized agricultural procedures, most of the work is carried out manually throughout the year in order to tend to the unique qualities of each vine.

The plant density is about 5,000 plants per hectare, ideal for this terrain, to obtain a balanced development of the canopy and roots of the vines as well as of a production of top quality grapes.

In each vineyard the type of rootstock is chosen according to the physical-chemical components of the soil: they are used to graft rooted cuttings that produce loose packed bunches with quite small seeds. In the 1990s, an experimental vineyard was planted where diverse historical clones were reunited and catalogued to compare each one’s characteristics from the same type of soil.

The vineyards of the estate are planted on a downward slope from the winery to the Orcia River, which marks the property line. On this long strip of land, the altitude and soil composition vary and the grapes express the diversity of this territory in a completely original way. Sangiovese is indeed a grape variety that is very sensitive to the environment in which it is grown; the type of agronomical choices made and their timing and execution throughout the season are also important factors in obtaining high quality grapes.

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA 

DUELECCI OVEST - EST

The Duelecci Vineyard, planted in 1999, covers the southern side of a hill topped with two big oak trees which lend it its name.

There are two distinct zones on these 3.2 hectares: the east side features soil that is poor in nutrients but rich in skeleton grain, while the soil on the west side is more fertile with low levels of pebbles and a high percentage of iron, which gives it a reddish colour.

The terrain of the entire vineyard is of Eocene origin (30-40 million years ago), presents equal percentages of clay, silt, and sand, a sub-alkaline pH and a good level of limestone, all characteristics which make it suitable for the production of wines for ageing.

This vineyard has always been one of the best for the winery. As such, it has always been selected for the production of the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva and therefore managed with the goal of obtaining low yields of grapes with high levels of concentration.

Since 2012, the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva has been called Duelecci as it has proven to be the best vineyard at producing grapes with excellent sensory characteristics.

With the intention of only selecting the best grapes for the Riserva, we make the most of the great diversity in the soil, which characterizes the east side and west side of this vineyard and depends on the seasonal conditions every year. In the hotter and drier years, the Riserva is made with grapes from the west side where the conditions of the terrain and the greater vigour of the vines ensure freshness and complexity of aromas in the wine. Accordingly, the label reads “Duelecci ovest” (Duelecci West). Alternatively, in milder years with ample rainfall and summer temperatures that are not extremely high, the Riserva is produced from the east side, which brings a greater concentration and taste intensity to the wine. In this case, the label will bear the name “Duelecci est” (Duelecci East).

This means that the Brunello Riserva will alternate the names “Duelecci est” and “Duelecci ovest” according to the climate that characterises each individual vintage. In this way, the label will already give the consumer some information about the weather conditions during that year of production.

Duelecci West: the terrain on the west side is rich in nutrients with low quantities of pebbles and endowed with a high percentage of iron, resulting in the best grapes for the production of the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Duelecci ovest” in the hottest years. 

Duelecci East: the terrain on the east side is poor and very rocky, yielding the best grapes for the production of the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Duelecci est” in the cooler years.