Tenuta Licinia
Tenuta Licinia is an award-winning wine producer whose estate sits at the foothills of the Tuscan Apennines, near the village of Lucignano. The property consists of 60 hectares of woods and 5.5 of vines. The vines were planted in 2007 by Jacques de Liedekerke and the winemaker is now James Marshall-Lockyer, his grandson, who works alongside Julien Lavenu from Bordeaux.
Spurred on by the success of cabernet sauvignon in Tuscany, Jacques believed that the central Tuscan Apennines, with their cool September nights and schistous soils, could offer structural charismatic cabernet blends without over-oaking. He hoped to make “clos” style wines, something atypical for Cabernet in Europe, in order to keep his wines united with their subsoils.
Lucignano has an ancient history with wine beginning at the time of the Etruscans, but viticulture died out during the social upheavals of the 20th century. The plot on which the vines were re-planted had been famous in the local region for producing exceptional wines – and Jacques hoped to bring historic fine wine production back to the local area.
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Why is this producer exceptional?
Tenuta Licinia is an exceptional, small-scale winemaker in Val di Chiana, a region where fine wine production is rare. Known for the uncommon delicacy of its wines, Tenuta Licinia’s “3 Cavalli” won a Gold Medal from Decanter.
Soil: Vines are planted on a small area with, among others, Galestro subsoil, the highest-rated Tuscan subsoil type.
Winemaking approach: grapes are picked at phenolic skin maturity, to express unique aromas. Wines are aged in 500L casks, minimising vanilla or oak flavours, while allowing aroma compounds to develop.
Vinification: fermentation occurs in 60hl stainless steel tanks, without crushing the grapes. Initial cool temperatures rise mid-fermentation, with brief pigeage.
Sustainability: as an organic certified winery, Tenuta Licinia practises agriculture that enhances carbon absorption and focuses on ecological preservation and ecosystem health.