Azienda Agricola Madrevite

A FAMILY HISTORY AND SUSTAINABLE PHILOSOPHY

Madrevite was founded in 2003 when Nicola Chiucchiurlotto began to restore his family farm and decided to replant part of his grandfather Zino's old vineyards, dating back to 1978. Like most of the rural properties in the past, the estate previously was a subsistence farm, including not only vineyards but also olive groves and cropland for growing grains and legumes. Today Madrevite covers 60 hectares of land on three wooded hills on the border between Umbria and Tuscany: of these 11 hectares are vineyards, 5 are olive groves, there are small areas of woodland and the rest is arable land.
Madrevite vineyards are 20 years old on average and are located at elevations ranging from 280 to 350 meters above sea level. With the support of winemaker Emiliano Falsini and agronomist Stefano Dini, Nicola produces about 35.000 bottles of wine per year.

The main red grape varieties cultivated at Madrevite are Gamay del Trasimeno, Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Syrah; the white ones are Trebbiano Spoletino and Grechetto:

At Madrevite organic agriculture is practiced and environmental and economic sustainability is the principle that inspires and governs all the estate’s activities: Nicola's effort is aimed at obtaining and preserving a wholesome, quality wine production, and to enhance what nature offers without traumatic or artificial practices. All of this is achieved by improving soil fertility, increasing environmental biodiversity, and eliminating the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides. Madrevite winery, which overlooks the vineyards, has a fermentation and vinification room with steel tanks equipped with a temperature control system. Fermentation takes place spontaneously without the use of added yeast, to emphasize the great job of selecting the healthiest grapes with the best state of ripeness; maceration on the skins varies according to the year and to what is needed; soft pressing and natural clarification are preferred. The two aging rooms hold the historic concrete barrels, the large wooden casks in which the wines age for months before being ready for tasting, and the small French oak barriques.

A Grapes Story of Gamay del Trasimeno

One of Umbria’s most important varieties, Gamay del Trasimeno, has found its ideal habitat here and is the grape variety representing the estate at its best. Recent ampelographic research shows that Gamay is the same grape that is known as Cannonau in Sardinia, Tai Rosso in Veneto, and Grenache and Garnacha respectively in France and Spain. It is believed that Gamay arrived here from Spain in the early 1600s. A second time of migration took place between the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Sardinian shepherds moved to the continent in two separate waves. This grape is characterized by a medium-sized bunch, with violetblue colored berries with a very pruinose skin and remarkable resistance to drought. Gamay’s home at Madrevite is a small vineyard at the top of the hill. It is the fruit of the great dedication of grandpa Zino, who in the 1970s grafted the ancient cuttings of a centuries-old vineyard. That heritage, with such a wealth of biodiversity, has been propagated again and reestablished, and today it bestows crisp, flavorful grapes that give the wine fragrance and elegance.

Grechetto and Trebbiano Spoletino

These should be considered “different twins,” because both are rustic and generous varieties, expressions of the terroir, but they give different results. Grechetto represents the Umbrian tradition and is more delicate, fresh, and immediate. Trebbiano Spoletino is more structured, full of aromas, with a more distinct character and great longevity.

Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Syrah

The red grapes include two other important varieties: Sangiovese and Montepulciano. Sangiovese is the dominant variety in central Italy. After more than 15 years of development, Madrevite identified a vineyard north of a hill in Le Capanne as the best one for producing a Sangiovese that is austere and important, but also fresh, balanced, and very pleasant. Montepulciano is the variety that stains the hands and dyes the rows of grapevines red. Madrevite’s Montepulciano vineyard, Vigna Il Macchiolo, is planted around the family woods and gives fruit of complexity, fullness and longevity. A cosmopolitan touch is provided by Syrah, a variety that brought international attention to Madrevite in the early 2000s.