Villa I Cipressi

The Villa i Cipressi Estate is located near Montalcino, on the road to Grosseto, only 1 km far from the old village.  The farm started to produce honey of various flavors around 1970.  Later in the nineties, Hubert Ciacci decided to expand his father’s beekeeping business, and began to plant vineyards and some olive trees. Today, Hubert, his wife Patrizia, and his sons, Dario and Federico, manage the entire estate, and produce Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, Grappa di Brunello, extra virgin olive oil and honey.  Hubert’s wealth of experience directs his family, which sees Federico coordinating the wine production as oenologist, and Dario managing the sales and marketing. Their passion for nature and the strong ecological spirit has led them to use solar power as the basic energy supply, and to convert the estate’s production to the principals of organic agriculture.

The family manages 5 hectares primarily dedicated to Sangiovese with a production capacity of 20,000 bottles per year. Located along the road to Sant’Angelo in Colle and Grosseto, Villa i Cipressi owns vineyards both in the southern part of the municipality, in the Castelnuovo dell’Abate area, and on the slopes of the hills facing northwest, shortly after the Passo del Lume Spento area.  The vineyard located to the south, at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level, features predominantly loamy-sandy soil that provides structure and volume to the grapes, along with a high alcohol content.  In the other area, the vineyard at 450 meters above sea level has predominantly calcareous soil, enriched with a small percentage of clay, giving the wine an aromatic fragrance and notable acidity.  The combination of these two different soil types and microclimates allows Villa i Cipressi to create a complete, balanced blend rich in personality.

Despite its small size considering the low production volumes, the winemaking cellar is an architectural gem. Characterized by a façade painted inspired by a work by Waltraud Redl, an Austrian friend of the family, the cellar offers a unique and evocative environment for visits and tastings. On the terrace above, miniature horses Rocky and Rambo welcome visitors and play their role as mascots for the company, while in the vineyard, Giorgia, Gaia, and Maya serve as perfect draft horses for sustainable work, minimizing soil compaction issues that would otherwise be induced using tractors and other agricultural machinery.  Not surprisingly, Villa i Cipressi operates under certified organic regulations, promoting a cultivation system that not only eliminates synthetic chemicals but also aims to promote biodiversity and soil fertility.  Regarding winemaking and aging approaches, the company’s preferences lean towards steel tanks for alcoholic fermentation and the right blend of large barrels and barriques according to the type of wine.