Tenuta Le Colonne

The story

Two estates, two soils, one move

In 2016, Bulgheroni arrived in Bolgheri looking for two estates, not one. He had already spent years building in Tuscany's inland appellations, Chianti Classico and Montalcino, where Sangiovese dominates and the hillside terrain sets the terms. Bolgheri offered something different, and when he moved, he moved in two directions at once. Tenuta Le Colonne came with 61 hectares on sandy coastal soils, one of the lowest and most seaward positions in the appellation. Tenuta Meraviglia occupied higher volcanic ground farther from the water. The two estates share an owner but not a soil type, not an elevation, and not a wine style. One grows Vermentino a few kilometres from the Tyrrhenian; the other makes wines from an entirely different geological foundation above it. The two-estate decision built a vertical slice of Bolgheri's full topographic range in a single move.

From the atlas

Tenuta Le Colonne

At A Glance

The Producer

Tenuta Le Colonne farms 61 hectares of certified organic vines in Donoratico, on the flat coastal strip of Bolgheri where the land runs out toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is one of the Bolgheri wineries closest to the water, and the soils underfoot are predominantly sandy, a contrast to the clay and gravel that defines the hillside estates farther inland.

Argentine entrepreneur Alejandro P. Bulgheroni built his Tuscan positions from the interior outward, starting in Chianti Classico, then Montalcino, then arriving in Bolgheri in 2016. At Bolgheri he invested in two estates at once: Tenuta Le Colonne in the lower, seaward position, and Tenuta Meraviglia higher up on volcanic soils. The agronomist is Lorenzo Bernini; the enologist is Luigi Temperini. Together they manage a range built to express what the coastal sandy ground produces when farmed with minimal intervention.

Place

Bolgheri is a DOC appellation on the Tuscan coast in the province of Livorno, carved out of the broader Maremma and built on the reputation of Cabernet and Merlot blends. The appellation runs from the Via Aurelia toward the wooded hills, and within it, elevation and soil type change quickly. Most of the hillside estates sit higher, where clay and gravel retain warmth and push tannin and weight into the wines.

Tenuta Le Colonne sits lower than those estates, in the coastal plain near Donoratico. The sandy soils drain fast, warm quickly, and produce grapes with softer tannin and brighter aromatic lift than hillside Bolgheri typically delivers. Proximity to the sea moderates temperature, extending the growing season and keeping acidity in the fruit. On the label, the address means Bolgheri Rosso DOC and Bolgheri Superiore DOC for the reds, and Toscana IGT for wines that fall outside the DOC's varietal rules, including the Vermentino.

Soil And Site

The estate occupies the lower portion of a landholding that stretches from the foothills down to the coastline. That low-lying position on predominantly sandy soils is the defining site character at Le Colonne. Sand forces vines to root deeply to find water and nutrition, and deep roots pull a more complex mineral signal from the subsoil. The team actively encourages deep rooting alongside microorganism activity and micro-oxygenation in the soil, working the earth to maintain its vitality rather than sterilising it with chemical inputs. Sand and gravel mix across the vineyard with varying aspects, so different parcels ripen at different rates and contribute different characters to the blends.

Story

Bulgheroni had been investing in Tuscany for years before Bolgheri entered the picture. Chianti Classico and Montalcino are interior appellations: cooler, hillier, more dependent on Sangiovese. Bolgheri is a coastal story, warmer and more influenced by the sea, built around international varieties. When he moved into the region in 2016, he did not buy a single estate. He took positions in two at once, and the two cover opposite ends of the Bolgheri topography: Le Colonne on the sandy coastal plain, Tenuta Meraviglia on volcanic soils at higher elevation. The decision built a spectrum rather than a single address.

At Le Colonne, the decision that shapes the wines most directly is the commitment to organic and regenerative farming combined with a low-intervention cellar. Native yeasts ferment the reds. Cement vats handle the Bolgheri Rosso fermentation. The priority is to carry what the sandy coastal land produces into the bottle without adding layers of winemaking character over the top.

Vineyards And Cellar

The 61 hectares are certified organic and farmed with a regenerative emphasis on soil vitality. The team works to build microorganism populations in the soil and to encourage vine roots to push deep into the sandy subsoil rather than feeding at the surface. Parcels carry varying aspects across the estate, which creates differences in ripening and allows the winemaking team to select from material with slightly different fruit characters.

In the cellar, native yeasts drive spontaneous fermentation. The Bolgheri Rosso ferments in cement vats for approximately 13 days. Cement holds temperature evenly and adds nothing to the wine, letting the fruit and soil character from the sandy parcels come through clearly. The Vermentino is pressed gently and fermented in stainless steel, then aged in stainless for three months, protecting the aromatic freshness of the grape.

Wines

The range moves from coastal white to structured red in four steps.

The Vermentino IGT is 100% Vermentino, fermented in stainless steel for approximately 12 days and aged three months in stainless before bottling. It is the only white in the range and the wine that sits furthest toward the sea, where the sandy soils and marine air give the grape its aromatic register.

The Bolgheri Rosso DOC blends 50% Merlot, 30% Petit Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot provides body and early texture, Petit Verdot adds colour depth and aromatic lift, and Cabernet Franc supplies freshness and a herbal edge. Fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in cement vats, this is the entry point into the red range, designed for earlier drinking.

The Plenum Toscana IGT leads with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon supported by 20% Merlot and 10% Syrah. The composition places Cabernet Sauvignon at the centre of the wine's architecture, moving the focus toward firmer tannin, darker fruit, and longer ageing potential. It occupies a position above Bolgheri Rosso in the range and carries Toscana IGT status because the composition or approach falls outside the Bolgheri DOC varietal parameters.

The Bolgheri Superiore DOC sits at the top of the range. It carries the Superiore designation, which in Bolgheri denotes longer minimum ageing and a higher minimum alcohol level than the standard Bolgheri Rosso.

In The Glass

The Vermentino opens with lime zest and white peach, then sage and hawthorn as it opens in the glass. The palate is savory rather than fruit-driven, with a mineral finish that comes from the sandy coastal soils and the stainless-steel handling that keeps the wine clean and direct. Acidity is present but not aggressive, and the wine finishes dry.

The Bolgheri Rosso reads softer than a hillside Bolgheri of similar composition, a consequence of the sandy soils that limit tannin extraction. The Merlot dominates the texture: round, with dark cherry and a slight plum weight. Petit Verdot deepens the colour and adds a violet character. Cabernet Franc keeps the back palate fresh, with a faint herbal note that prevents the wine from becoming heavy. The native-yeast fermentation adds a faint savory complexity that distinguishes it from more technically steered Bolgheri reds.

Plenum builds on that sandy-soil foundation but turns Cabernet Sauvignon's grip up. The tannins are firmer, the fruit darker, the finish longer. Syrah adds a peppery note to the back palate, and the Merlot cushions the mid-palate without softening the overall line of the wine.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the Bolgheri Rosso DOC. The blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, fermented with native yeasts in cement, gives an honest account of what the sandy coastal soils at Le Colonne produce: softer tannin than hillside Bolgheri, bright acidity from the sea-facing position, dark cherry and violet from the Petit Verdot, and a herbal freshness from the Cabernet Franc that keeps the wine moving on the finish. It is not trying to be weighty or age-worthy. It is a coastal red from sandy ground, and at this level the estate's character comes through without requiring the patience that Plenum or the Superiore demand.

Anecdote

In 2016, Bulgheroni arrived in Bolgheri looking for two estates, not one. He had already spent years building in Tuscany's inland appellations, Chianti Classico and Montalcino, where Sangiovese dominates and the hillside terrain sets the terms. Bolgheri offered something different, and when he moved, he moved in two directions at once. Tenuta Le Colonne came with 61 hectares on sandy coastal soils, one of the lowest and most seaward positions in the appellation. Tenuta Meraviglia occupied higher volcanic ground farther from the water. The two estates share an owner but not a soil type, not an elevation, and not a wine style. One grows Vermentino a few kilometres from the Tyrrhenian; the other makes wines from an entirely different geological foundation above it. The two-estate decision built a vertical slice of Bolgheri's full topographic range in a single move.

Final Word

Tenuta Le Colonne is among the Bolgheri wineries closest to the sea, on flat coastal ground with predominantly sandy soils. The Bolgheri Rosso is the wine to start with. The Vermentino is the wine that most clearly states the estate's address.

Sources

• https://www.bolgheridoc.com/en/consorziati/tenuta-le-colonne-en/
• https://sienaimports.com/toscana/tenuta-le-colonne/
• https://tenutalecolonne.com/en/collection/vermentino-igt-2/
• https://tenutalecolonne.com/en/collection/bolgheri-rosso-doc-2/
• https://tenutalecolonne.com/en/collection/plenum-toscana-igt-2/
• https://tenutalecolonne.com/en/terroir-2/