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UMBRIA – TOSCANA (13) … MOLINO DI GRACE
Early in the morning, after a very comfortable night and a good breakfast at the cozy Albergo Agriturismo Azienda Agricola CASAFRASSI, the whole group left with luggage and all in two busses for a visit to one of the most ‘artistic’ wineries from Tuscany, Il Molino di Grace, close to Panzano, on the way between Firenze and Siena.
This winery is named after the owners, the American Grace family, and an old, historical windmill on the property. The Molino di Grace Winery is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, and the wines are true interpreters of the local tradition and terroirs. The winery uses organic fertilizers, works truly sustainable in the vineyards and in the cellars. If I understood our host, Gerhard Hirmer, the whole viticulture part is turning into 100% organic. The winemaking part is a team work between Frank (owner, founder) and Tim Grace (director), Franco Bernabei (enologist) and Giovanni Napolitano (cellar master). Gerhard Hirmer is responsible for the whole estate management and Tiziano Vannoni for the marketing of the wines and for sales in Italy and UK. The viticulture part of this winery is much older than the 19th century buildings; it goes back to the Etruscan times, even though ‘only’ the past 350 years could be officially tracked back.
Idyllic and bucolic scenery all around…
A STATE OF ART VINERY
The location of the tenuta is absolutely idyllic and bucolic. The view is fabulous, and the whole domain is full of statues, from the vineyards to outside and even inside the winery and living house. Huge statues in the vineyards, medium ones around the winery and in the house gardens…
Huge statues in the vineyard…
Art at the gate…
Mythic, magic and even religious art in the gardens…
Inside the house you will find – to my humble knowledge – the biggest domestic collection ever of pictures and all kind of figures representing the ‘local’ Saint, Francisco di Assisi… The visit of the vineyards and along the gardens, statues and other pieces of art, was much too long for my taste, especially for such a huge group like we were. The tasting inside the house was completely crazy, much too much people, too small for so many people and here again, too little time left for the tasting. A pity actually; for me, the vineyard, the people and eventually the wines, are much more important and interesting than any artistic museum tour, even in such a great place!
The tasting
We tasted in very short time 5 different wines from Il Molino di Grace, the first two being the only ones not made from own grapes:
Il Volano bianco Toscano IGT 2007: malvasia, trebbiano, chardonnay. Straw yellow with greenish shades. Fruity and floral nose with mineral accents. Fresh attack, good structure, mouth filling, well-balanced, very pleasant. Rather long finish. Good.
Il Volano rosso Toscana IGT 2007: ¾ sangiovese, ¼ merlot. Nice ruby color. Elegant and fresh ripe fruit, floral hints, a touch of spices. Very fresh and fruity, slightly spicy, elegant, juicy, well-balanced, easy drinking and very pleasant. Rather long finish with good minerality. Good.
Il Molino di Grace Chianti DOCG 2006: 100% sangiovese. Beautiful, intense ruby red color. Very elegant nose, typical Chianti, with a delicate combination of red fruits and flowers (violets?). Very gastronomic wine, soft and fresh attack, good structure and balance, juicy and smooth, with a rather long and mineral finish. Good!
Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2005: 100% sangiovese. Beautiful, intense ruby red color. Needs to breathe to develop its complex bouquet of red fruits (cherries!) and spices (pepper!). Powerful but elegant in its attack, fresh, smooth, round, with ripe and soft tannins, a great structure, not heavy or hyper-concentrated. Long finish. Great gastronomic wine… Very good!
Gratius Toscana IGT 2004: the ‘Super Tuscan’ of this family winery. 100% sangiovese, from a single vineyard on galestro soil, at about 400 m above sea level. The roots of the 70 years old vines reach to 25 m below the surface. Yields: 22 hl/ha… Fantastic color, very appealing, intense full ruby red. The bouquet is very complex, but all in elegancy, with loads of ripe black cherries and other small fruits. Great structure, powerful but elegant, complex, very well balanced, with ripe and smooth tannins, perfect integrated oak, spicy in juicy, mouth filling, with a fabulous long finish. A fantastic gastronomic wine that you can continue to enjoy after the first sip… (Always with moderation, of course). Outstanding!
General conclusion: This very interesting tasting confirmed that one can produce a great Chianti wine without any merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon or whatever! It confirmed too that even rich and concentrated wines can be fresh and elegant, which makes them much better suitable for the gastronomy. It establishes that one can use oak, even French oak, for wines with a great concentration and nevertheless produces well-balanced, elegant, fresh and juicy wines than can match with tasty, fine dishes of the best traditional gastronomy from all over the world. And that even only after 6 years!
Warmest thanks to Gerhard Hirmer for his welcome and comments, to the Grace family for their vision and understanding, to the whole viticulture and wine making team of Il Molino di Grace for their quest for really authentic Chianti wines, not the blockbusters made for speculation, but the great wines produced for wine and food lovers. Thanks indeed for all of us!
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