Vineyards Magazine

30 years of Veneroso and 20 of Nambrot

 

An honours-filled history in its past and a present marked by celebrations: Tenuta di Ghizzano, one of the iconic producers of the Terre di Pisa zone, lies not far from the sea, amidst gentle hills which the Venerosi Pesciolini family’s watchtower has vigilantly guarded for centuries. Today, that estate is the birthplace of elegant wines that conjure up a Tuscany that is both refined and unexpected.

Ginevra Venerosi Pesciolini, following in the footsteps of her father, has transformed the family estate into a winemaking jewel that embraces history and its environment in perfect balance. This bio-ecosystem of 350 hectares, with 20 in vineyard, produces wines that are deeply rooted in their terroir. Two of them have become widely-hailed benchmarks: Veneroso, a wine that has written the history of the winery and that celebrates this year its 30^th vintage, and Nambrot, a Bordeaux blend that is the fruit of a lengthy evolution over the span of its 20 vintages.

 

Veneroso saw the light of day in 1985, in the heroic, pioneering period of the emergence of the first Super Tuscans, and it quickly became the symbol of the excellence of the entire area. Today, it is a blend of Sangiovese with a tot of Cabernet Sauvignon, made from grapes from a number of parcels, whose south-southwest aspect and 180-metre elevation allow the grapes outstanding ripeness. The warm, well-balanced 2015 growing season produced a wine of obvious excellence for the 30^th milestone.

Nambrot emerged in 1996, when the producer found that a cuvée of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot offered the finest expression of the power and warmth that characterised the estate’s terroir. Nambrot’s current 2016 vintage, reflecting a moderately-warm season, offers a refreshing crispness and magisterial complexity.

Both wines showcase enviable balance and thoroughgoing respect for the surrounding environment, the expression of vineyards that are both organically and biodynamically farmed (Demeter certification).

 

The Venerosi Pesciolini family is deservedly proud of this double birthday, and to celebrate it the bottles of Veneroso 2015 and Nambrot 2016 bear commemorative labels and their special boxes display the iconic image of the villa branded into the wood.

 

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The estate. The Venerosi Pesciolini family has owned Tenuta di Ghizzano since 1370. It lies in the village of Ghizzano, with an ancient watch-tower guarding from above. At its feet is an inviting, almost-magical Italian-style garden, while the winecellar lies below the foundations of the Villa, and the all-enfolding vineyards form Renaissance landscapes. Certified organic viticultural practices have made it a benchmark of sustainability, and Demeter certified it as biodynamic as well, in 2018. In addition to Veneroso and Nambrot, the estate produces Ghizzano Rosso and Ghizzano Bianco, the former a Sangiovese with a few drops of Merlot, the latter a classically white Tuscan blend of Vermentino, Trebbiano, and Malvasia Bianca. In accord with local tradition, Ghizzano also makes San Germano, a sweet Passito IGT, from old vines of Trebbiano, Malvasia Bianca, and Colombana, and two styles of extravirgin olive oil.