Pacina
Chianti, Italy
Pacina is an incredible place. It’s a polycultural living farm with a diverse range of plants, flowers and animals. Their property includes vines, olive groves and many fields of woodlands stretching across Chianti. They grow various crops like spelt, chickpeas and lentils and many other fruits and vegetables as well and harvest truffles in November in the forrest nearby. They have 65 hectares of land in total with 10.5 hectares of vineyards that surround their winery, 15 hectares of crops and 8 hectares of trees. The rest is woodland that is intentionally left uncultivated to help improve the biodiversity of their home. With wildlife in their vineyards they are able to do less and less to the vines each year, allowing them to grow and live on their own without intervention.
The estate was purchased in 1920 by Giovanna’s great grandfather who wanted to move to the countryside near Sienna to live a more simple life, tired of the bustle of the city. He moved shortly after world war 1 but the site is home to a covenant that was build in the 10th century. The place has been active for over 1000 years producing food and wine for those that live there. Giovanna and Stefano are thrilled to be continuing this tradition. They have never used chemicals in their vineyards because the vines have never needed it, the soils have teemed with life for hundred’s of years. Giovanna says giving chemicals to their vineyards would be like giving a child antibiotics who didn’t need them. What’s the point?
Since 1967 Pacina has bottled wines, at first as Chianti Colli Senesi which contained all the grapes from their vineyard co-fermented together in the traditional way. In 1987 they decided to separate some of their grapes during harvest for the first time. They tasted each plot on it’s own to produce wines more representative of each soil and microclimate. Since they began, wines have been made with no additions. Rarely they will add a tiny dose of So2 at bottling if necessary. Everything they do is by hand.
Although Pacina has been approved by the DOCGs to label their wines as such, they label them simply as Toscana IGT. For Stefano and Giovanna the Chianti DOCGs have lost their meaning, with many wines expressing heavily extracted cooked fruit, sweet new oak and high levels of alcohol. They are making true Terroir wines that don’t fit into this group. They are selling the wine inside the bottle, not a DOCG label and cork.
Wines are vinified without any additions and fermented with natural yeasts in old oak, acacia and concrete. The wines are delicate, pretty and floral but with great structure and an assertive strength. The wines are bottled without clarification and filtering, and are bottled according to the their willingness to leave the cellar, not a calendar or marketing scheme.
2015 La Cerretina
The Pacina white wine sees a short 6 day skin maceration for added structure and depth. The wine is then held for 14 months in acacia and oak barrels and 2 months in bottle before release. Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia del Chianti
2015 Ill Secondo
Made from the same vineyard as Toscana IGT, but from the younger vines aged 10-12 years old. This is a fantastic introduction to their wines. It shows their Terroir beautifully but is extremely approachable in its youth and is made in a much juicier, fresher style than the Toscana IGT. Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo and Trebbiano. Destemmed and fermented in concrete before aging in oak, acacia and stainless steel.
2012 Pacina Toscana IGT
From 35+ year old vines this is the wine most traditional and representative of their area. Their first vintage of this was 1987. Fruit is destemmed and fermented in Concrete. The wine is then aged for 14 months in old oak casks, 500L barrique and concrete tanks. Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo
2014 La Malena
Produced since 1996, this wine is usually at least half Syrah (although sometimes 100%), from vines planted in 1993. Ciliegiolo is sometimes blended in for freshness and acidity with Syrah giving the wine body and density. A lean Supertuscan with balance and freshness…. What an idea….
RETAIL
Ellement Wines & Spirits
Jones & Co. Wine Merchants
Kenaston Wine Market
Winehouse
