Discover the Winery: Tenuta di Biserno
Nestled amongst the hills of Bibbona in the Upper Maremma is the stunningly coastal 90 hectare estate of Tenuta di Biserno. It is, to which the name of its most prestigious cuvée alludes, a member of the legendary Antinori stable which forged a path for the “Super Tuscan” movement of the 1980s when both Ornellaia and Masseto were founded by Lodovico Antinori.
Having established Bolgheri as a true fine-wine region to compete with the very greatest terroirs across the globe, an employee extoled the virtues of a piece of land just above the Bolgheri DOC to Lodovico in 1994. Describing his first visit as “love at first sight”, Antinori was enamoured by not only the quality of the soils but also the wonderful sea breeze which swirls around these vines bringing with them a cooling effect.
Cabernet Franc, not yet as devastatingly popular as it is today, was chosen to be the predominant varietal for Tenuta di Biserno thanks to the aforementioned coastal breeze. This varietal's great fault is its tendency towards greenness when picked too early, a particular problem in the lower area of Bolgheri where the scorching heat means harvest must begin earlier to avoid desiccation. Further up the hills, Cabernet Franc can be left far longer on the vine to mature to full ripeness thanks to the significantly lower temperatures.
Sourced from a choice plot of 6 hectares of the most gravel-dominant and highly situated soils is the formidable Ludovico cuvée, the top wine from this amazing estate.