Buondonno in Castellina -- CERTIFIED ORGANIC!
In 1998, two serious agronomists from Naples, Gabrielle Buondonno and Valeria Sodano, took the reigns of a farm that once belonged to the artist Michaelangelo's nephew, Lionardo Buonarroti:
Michelangelo wrote to his nephew saying, "I would rather have two barrles of Trebbiano than eight shirts," adding that he also needed some bottles as a gift for the Pope. Even in the Renaissance, the farm had its fans.
The small 50 acre farm is certified organic and is a farm in the sense that it is surrounded by a mix of olive grooves, woods and pasture, and, of course, vines (making up 20 acres). Smack in the middle of Chianti Classico DOCG, with an elevation of 1500 feet, it's idyllic Toscana with a view (see contentment of resident dogs in picture).
But, it's also important to point out, among all this Tuscan Sun, that Gabrielle and Valeria are serious about preserving the land and making excellent wine.
Here some observations they made about the organic vineyards:
The vineyards are mostly situated on our farmland around Casavecchia at an average height of 1500 feet sea level and face south, south-east and east. Close by near the village of Sicelle (1300 feet above sea level), we have a small vineyard which faces north-east. The soil is deep with a mix of clay and limestone; there is a substantial layer of crumbled rock which provides excellent drainage.
Over the last 15 years since 1992 we have replaced a large part of the vineyards using clones of Sangiovese selected both for their low yield and because they produce bunches of small sized grapes, thus providing an improved skin/must ratio. We have also introduced new varieties such as Syrah and Merlot. Of the 8 hectares under vine, 7 are Sangiovese - Canaiolo and Colorino are also present among the older vineyards; half a hectare is set over to Syrah and another half to Merlot. The density of plants per hectare in the old vineyards is approximately 3000 and in the new, 5000. The vines are trained with the guyot and the single or double spurred cordon systems, all at a height of 65-70 cms with a leafy growth of about 1 metre.
Dry pruning takes place between December and February when we leave about 10 buds on each plant. As the vegetation proceeds we look to create the best possible ratio of leaf growth, grapes and aeration by carrying out regular green harvesting, along with pruning and training of the vines. Optimal aeration is vital to reduce the chances of fungal disease. Yield is reduced by thinning out the clusters of grapes during the period of “veraison” when the grapes change colour – July/August between 25-50%.
Three weeks prior to harvesting the leaf growth is thinned round the grapes to guarantee maximum exposure to the sun and sufficient aeration.
Work on the soil is kept to a minimum; we do light harrowing between alternate rows of vines, as half of the rows have stable grass growth, and hoeing along the line itself in order to reduce the competition from the grass growing close to the plants. Fertilizers and anti-parasitic treatments are carried out with natural products which comply with the Reg. CEE 2092/91 which regulates Organic Farming.
