Podere Le Ripi

Podere Le Ripi
Francesco Illy and Sebastian Nasello / Montalcino

"The beauty, the distance from all that we call civilisation, the absence of modern architecture, the fragrances that pervade these hills all year round, the view deep down, to the east of Monticchiello, and Montepulciano, the prehistoric volcano of Monte Amiata to the south, the amphitheatre-like hills that protect Le Ripi to the west and north. All this, so wonderful, but also so uncontaminated."  

Podere le Ripi was born in Montalcino in 1984 from an initial falling in love by Francesco Illy, who bought the farm from a Sardinian shepherd near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, on the eastern side of Montalcino. It was the love that only a naturalist photographer can have for such an intense landscape. In 1999 he began his adventure in viticulture with the first plantings, and since 2011 he has been moving towards a biodynamic conversion.  

Today the estate has about 31 hectares under vine, divided between the two slopes of Montalcino, one to the west with sandy alluvial soils rich in skeleton and the other to the east on calcareous marl with no skeleton; this is how the five different estate wines originate, each coming from individual plots, different in terroir and density. They start with plantings of 6,000 vines/ha, up to the Lupi and Sirene saplings of 11,100 vines/ha and the Bonsai vineyard of 62,500 vines/ha (the densest vineyard in the world).

All the wines undergo a slow and delicate accompaniment in the cellar, where large vats and barrels made of precious woods are used for both fermentation and ageing (from 24 to 36 months depending on the wines) and then finish with a harmonisation in cement. This whole process is aimed at exalting the classic nature of Sangiovese in Montalcino and the different facets of the vineyards. Deep roots, vines in full dialogue with their surroundings and the right amount of patience during ageing are the fundamental requisites for capturing the uniqueness that only Mother Nature can create.