Anyone who doubts whether organic and biodynamic farming have an impact on a wine’s character should taste “Palistorti'' from Tenuta di Valgiano and then re-assess. None of us here has any doubts, I can assure you of that, and today’s ’18 is an especially vivid reminder of the kind of wine you get from sustainably farmed grapes: ripe, dense, and deeply flavorful without the glossy sheen that comes from excess residual sugar, expensive oak, and other means of engineering flavor and texture in the winery. 

“Palistorti'' is more raw than cooked, if you will, a wine that could be categorized as a “super Tuscan” but doesn’t really meet the stylistic parameters most people associate with the category. Plus, it hails from the Colline Lucchesi, or the “hills of Lucca,” which in the pantheon of Tuscan wine is an out-of-the-way locale. But make no mistake: Tenuta di Valgiano, which was created from a near-ruin in the early 1990s, is one of the most special properties in all of Tuscany. It’s a biodynamic idyll in a unique and favorable terroir, one that enjoys a complex mix of soils and an interplay of mountain- and sea-borne air currents. Palistorti is driven by Tuscany's signature variety, Sangiovese, but the supporting cast is diverse, international, and truly complementary—the inclusion of Syrah and Merlot in the blend doesn’t mask the Sangiovese component, creating a super-Tuscan that remains identifiably, almost defiantly Tuscan. This is a modern classic, a one-of-a-kind wine, and one of the best pound-for-pound values coming out of Italy today. Andiamo!

Valgiano’s owners, Moreno Petrini and Laura di Collobiano, discovered the property that would become Tenuta di Valgiano in 1992; it had a rundown Renaissance-era villa and some vineyards and olive groves, which required a tremendous amount of investment to restore. Both Moreno, a Milan businessman who was born near the hamlet of Valgiano, and Laura, who comes from a noble family in Turin, had the wherewithal to make it happen, but this was no “hobby” estate: The couple hired enologist Saverio Petrilli and initiated organic and biodynamic farming practices immediately; they had achieved organic certification by 1997 and biodynamic by 2003, and remain so today, employing a diverse array of cover crops to promote biodiversity and using biodynamic treatments for pest and disease control. Petrilli has also said that he is hoping to move the farm toward “no-till” agriculture, which is becoming increasingly popular in the wine world.

The mix of varieties in the 40 acres of Valgiano vineyards, which are situated northeast of Lucca about 20 kilometers from the Mediterranean, is reflective of the frontier-like quality of the Tuscan coast. As in more-famous appellations further south, most notably Bolgheri, there has always been Sangiovese here, as well as Colorino and Canaiolo, but the cherry-fruited Ciliegiolo variety is unique to the coast. Syrah and Merlot are also part of the mix, as both varieties—along with the Cabernets—are widely planted up and down the coast.

The vineyards that supply “Palistorti” (meaning “crooked stakes,” a reference to the hand-farmed vine rows) are a mixture of clay-rich marl (known here, and in Chianti, as alberese) and alluvial sandstone. They occupy low, gently rolling slopes that lead eventually to the Apennine Mountains, resulting in a push-pull of Mediterranean and Mountain air that helps moderate the climate. In recent years, Palistorti has consisted of 70% Sangiovese, roughly 20% Merlot/Syrah, and the remainder a mix of Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo, and Colorino. They ferment the wine in open-topped wooden vats on ambient yeast, plunging the “cap” of skins and solids into the juice by hand or foot; aging is for 12 months in used French oak barriques, followed by six months in concrete tanks before bottling.

This ’18 is a bold, gutsy red but not a heavy one—there’s lots of lean muscle rather than fat, and the wine’s “Tuscan-ness” is identifiable from the jump in the form of a profound woodsy savor (Sangiovese’s calling card). It’s a deep ruby-red in the glass with hints of garnet and magenta, with aromas of brambly black cherry and raspberry, Damson plum, violet, tar, tobacco, and underbrush. It is a hair under full-bodied, with only a slight touch of oak spice in the background. There’s an iodine-like minerality that made me crave a steak or some other slab of meat off the grill, so I obliged myself and got just that. After a 30-45 minute decant, the Palistorti blossomed into a layered powerhouse with just the right amount of tension and grip to tackle that steak. Serve it in big Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees and find your bliss. This is “natural wine” at its very best!