Italy · Chianti Hills

Azienda Tenuta Canto Alla Moraia

Organic Supertuscan estate in Castiglion Fibocchi making one Cabernet-led blend, Moraia, from certified organic vines at 300 metres in the Arno valley hills.

The producer

Tenuta Canto Alla Moraia farms roughly 10 to 11 hectares of certified organic vines in Castiglion Fibocchi, Province of Arezzo, at the eastern margin of Chianti territory. The estate makes one wine: Moraia, a Supertuscan red of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Sangiovese, and 20% Merlot, fermented slowly in stainless steel and aged up to three years in 500-litre tonneau. Giannetto Lebole bought the original 200-hectare farm here in the 1950s; the holding contracted over generations into the focused 30-hectare parcel that exists today. A full renovation in 2002 committed the property to quality and sustainability, and organic certification followed.

Moraia is labelled IGT Toscana. The Cabernet Sauvignon majority drives its dark-fruit depth: black cherry, damson, balsamic, and black pepper. Sangiovese brings grip and a lifted cherry note mid-palate. Merlot rounds the finish with a cocoa-edged softness. Three years in tonneau integrates the tannins without announcing the oak. The 2016 vintage received 94 points from the IWSC.

Known for

Single-wine organic Supertuscan estate; Cabernet-led tonneau-aged blend from the eastern Chianti hills

Notable facts

The story

The Mulberry Name

The wine is called Moraia because mulberry trees once covered the original farm. In local Tuscan dialect, moraia is the word for a grove of mulberries. When Giannetto Lebole bought the 200-hectare property in the 1950s, those trees were as much a part of the landscape as the vines. The holding contracted over the decades; most of the original farm gave way to other uses. The mulberries are gone now, or nearly so. When the estate settled on a name for its blend, they reached back to what the land had been before the wine took over.

From the atlas

Azienda Tenuta Canto Alla Moraia

At A Glance

The Producer

Tenuta Canto Alla Moraia makes one wine. That focus is not a limitation: the estate in Castiglion Fibocchi, Province of Arezzo, has spent more than two decades sharpening a single Supertuscan red, Moraia, from certified organic vines on the eastern edge of Chianti territory. The blend leads with Cabernet Sauvignon, adds Sangiovese for grip and cherry, and rounds the finish with Merlot. Three years in tonneau follow a slow stainless-steel fermentation. The wine is labelled IGT Toscana.

The estate covers 30 hectares, of which roughly 10 to 11 are planted. Giannetto Lebole bought the original 200-hectare farm here in the 1950s; the holding contracted over generations into the focused parcel that exists today. A full renovation in 2002 redirected the property toward quality and sustainability, and organic certification followed.

Place

Castiglion Fibocchi sits in the Province of Arezzo, in the Valdarno, the broad valley carved by the Arno river between Florence and Arezzo. The vineyards lie at around 300 metres elevation, sheltered to the east by the Pratomagno, a ridge of the Apennines that blocks cold continental air and creates a mild growing climate with warm days and cool nights. To the west, the hills roll into the broader Chianti zone, and the estate sits at its eastern margin.

The Cassia Vetus, an ancient Roman road connecting Etruscan cities through this part of the Arno valley, passes through the area. The road predates the vineyard, but the geography it followed remains: a corridor of hills at moderate altitude, facing south and west, where grapes ripen fully without losing acidity.

The IGT Toscana label on Moraia reflects legal geography as much as physical place. IGT Toscana, the broader Tuscan designation, allows the blend freely. The appellation does not determine quality here; the farming and cellar work do.

Soil And Site

The Pratomagno mountains to the east give the vineyards a sheltered aspect. At 300 metres, the site is high enough to preserve acidity through the growing season. Yields are 50 to 60 quintals of grapes per hectare. The estate does not irrigate.

Story

Giannetto Lebole purchased the farm in the 1950s, a time when much of the Arno valley was still producing bulk wine for local consumption. The estate grew grapes alongside olives and other agricultural crops on the original 200-hectare holding. By the time the property passed through successive hands and contracted to 30 hectares, the wine market in Tuscany had changed completely.

The Supertuscan movement had established, from Bolgheri and Maremma in the 1970s and 1980s, that Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot planted alongside Sangiovese could produce serious Tuscan red wine outside DOCG regulations. Estates across the region followed. The 2002 renovation at Canto Alla Moraia committed the property formally to that model: quality-focused, single-wine, organically farmed. Certification followed, and the estate has operated under organic rules since.

That renovation also settled the cellar approach. Slow fermentation in stainless steel preserves the primary fruit character of the three grapes before the wine moves into tonneau, the 500-litre French oak format, for up to three years. Tonneau ageing sits between barrique and large foudre: enough oak contact to add texture and complexity without dominating the fruit.

Vineyards And Cellar

The roughly 10 to 11 hectares of vine grow at 300 metres under certified organic management. No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers are used; the estate relies on cover crops, natural treatments, and reduced intervention to maintain vine health. Yields are 50 to 60 quintals of grapes per hectare.

In the cellar, fermentation is slow and temperature-controlled in stainless steel tanks. Slow fermentation extracts colour and flavour without aggressive temperature spikes, and the stainless-steel vessel preserves the fresh fruit character of both Sangiovese and the dark-fruited international varieties. From fermentation, Moraia moves into tonneau for up to three years. The 500-litre format adds tannin polymerisation and a measured cedar and spice contribution without the overt vanilla of small barrique. The wine arrives in bottle with soft, integrated tannins and a finish that carries the oak time without announcing it.

Wines

Moraia is the estate's single recorded wine, an IGT Toscana red blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Sangiovese, and 20% Merlot. The category places it in the Supertuscan tradition: international varieties blended with the native Sangiovese, labelled under the broad Tuscan geographical indication rather than a commune-level or DOCG appellation.

The Cabernet Sauvignon majority drives the wine's dark-fruit depth: black cherry, damson, and a balsamic thread that reads through to the finish. Sangiovese brings the wine's lifted cherry note and its chewy, drying grip mid-palate. Merlot fills the finish, adding roundness and a cocoa-edged texture that softens the Cabernet's firmness. Three years in tonneau adds cedar, a quiet spice layer, and a tannin integration that keeps the wine from reading as young or astringent.

The IWSC awarded the 2016 vintage 94 points, a score that places it among the better-performing wines in the broader Supertuscan category for that year.

In The Glass

Pour Moraia and black cherry rises first, followed by damson and a faint balsamic thread. The pepper note arrives with air. In the mouth, the Cabernet weight is immediately clear: the wine is full-bodied, with a dark-fruit core that fills the mid-palate. The Sangiovese brings black cherry and soft plush tannins. The tannins are soft and plush after three years in tonneau, not aggressive, but present enough to carry the wine across a meal. The Merlot softens the finish, adding a cocoa-dusted roundness that prolongs the aftertaste without sweetness. Acidity keeps the fruit in check and ensures the finish stays clean.

A Bottle To Understand It

Moraia is the only bottle, and it is the right first bottle. It is a Cabernet-led Supertuscan from organically farmed vines at 300 metres in the Arno valley hills, aged three years in tonneau. The wine carries black cherry, damson, balsamic, and black pepper on the nose; a full-bodied, soft-tannin palate with cocoa texture; and a long finish that holds the fruit together well after the glass is empty. Buy the most recent available vintage. Open it with lamb or aged pecorino.

Anecdote

The wine is called Moraia because mulberry trees once covered the original farm. In local Tuscan dialect, moraia is the word for a grove of mulberries. When Giannetto Lebole bought the 200-hectare property in the 1950s, those trees were as much a part of the landscape as the vines. The holding contracted over the decades; most of the original farm gave way to other uses. The mulberries are gone now, or nearly so. But when the estate settled on a name for its blend, they reached back to what the land had been before the wine took over.

Final Word

Tenuta Canto Alla Moraia is a small, focused organic estate on the eastern edge of Chianti, making one Cabernet-led red from vines farmed without synthetic inputs at 300 metres above the Arno valley. The 2002 renovation settled the direction: one wine, one blend, three years in tonneau, organic throughout. Moraia delivers on that commitment in the glass.

Sources

Open Azienda Tenuta Canto Alla Moraia in the interactive map →