At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Tuscany, Italy
- Place
- Montalcino's northern slopes
- Main grape
- Sangiovese Grosso
- Appellations
- Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino
- Estate scale
- More than 400 hectares, with 13 hectares devoted to Sangiovese Grosso
- Wine in focus
- Castello Tricerchi Rosso di Montalcino
The Producer
Tommaso was born in 1988 and represents the new generation at Castello Tricerchi, where he plays a pivotal role in the company. The estate's Sangiovese Grosso vineyards produce Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. The red range uses one grape variety across two Montalcino appellations.
Place
Montalcino's northern slopes are the estate's geographic setting. The Sangiovese Grosso vineyards supply both Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino, so the two appellation wines share one grape source.
Soil And Site
The vineyard soils contain limestone clay and sand and are rich and even. The vines face north almost exclusively, which allows uniform ripening. For a red grape, uniform ripening lets fruit, acidity and tannin develop together before harvest.
Story
In 1800, Maddalena passed the castle and its property to her eldest son Julio Squarcia, an ancestor of the present family. That handover sits inside an older Tricerchi history: by 1290, the family belonged to Siena's Government of Nine, and the building on the Via Francigena was completed in 1441. Italy recognised Tricerchi Castle as part of the country's historical and artistic heritage in 1982. The former dungeons now house the wine cellars, where thick walls and air chambers above and below keep the temperature constant throughout the year.
Vineyards And Cellar
Castello Tricerchi hand selects its grapes. Local yeasts carry the fermentations, and long periods of skin maceration leave the fermenting wine in contact with grape skins for extended time, extracting colour and tannin. Maturation follows traditional methods in Slavonian durmast barrels. Oak ageing softens tannin and adds gentle spice as the wine develops.
Wines
Castello Tricerchi makes two red Montalcino appellation wines, Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino, from Sangiovese Grosso. Rosso receives at least nine months in 20 hectolitre Slavonian casks and at least four months in bottle, with further development possible. Brunello comes from the same Sangiovese Grosso vineyard base, so the range holds its grape source constant while the appellation name changes.
In The Glass
Brunello shares the Sangiovese Grosso vineyard base. In the Rosso, that grape appears as strawberry, cherry jam, light spice, flowers and mineral notes. The palate is intense and balanced, with dense tannins and a long savoury mineral finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Castello Tricerchi Rosso di Montalcino 2022 is the first bottle. The wine is 14 percent alcohol. The Rosso is pure Sangiovese from Vigna del Piano and Vigna dei Cipressi, with 25 days of maceration in steel tanks held at 23°C. It comes first because named vineyard sources, pure Sangiovese and steel maceration are all present in one Rosso.
Anecdote
In 1995, Emanuele planted the first Brunello vines at Castello Tricerchi. That planting began the estate's modern vineyard chapter. The vineyards now produce Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino from Sangiovese Grosso. At the estate, grapes are hand selected, fermented with local yeasts and given long periods of skin maceration before maturation in Slavonian durmast barrels.
Final Word
Castello Tricerchi works from one red grape and two Montalcino appellation wines, with a historic castle at the centre of the estate. Sangiovese Grosso remains the link between Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino.