Mazzei (Belguardo)

Acquisition and redevelopment

The Mazzei family acquired Tenuta Belguardo in 1997, extending its winegrowing activity from Chianti Classico to the Tuscan Maremma. Francesco Mazzei’s work in commercial organization and business development helped make the acquisition possible. The property occupied hills between Grosseto and Montiano, close to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

A long search for suitable Maremman land preceded the project. Immediately after the acquisition, the family began an intensive vineyard-replanting program. Varieties and clones were selected for the estate’s different soils and maritime growing conditions. The resulting property now covers 94 hectares, including 48 hectares of specialized vineyards.

Development of the estate’s identity

Belguardo developed around an eclectic mix of local and international varieties. Sangiovese, Alicante, Ciliegiolo and Vermentino grow alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, with further varieties undergoing experimental development. The estate’s principal red cru first appeared around the beginning of the 2000s and became the flagship expression of its Cabernet vineyards.

The estate adopted Leonardo da Vinci’s stellated icosahedron as its emblem. Da Vinci drew the polyhedron for Fra Luca Pacioli’s De Divina Proportione of 1497. Its combination of geometry, perspective and individually defined faces was chosen to represent Belguardo’s precision, complexity and range of distinct wine personalities.

Vermentino research

In 2008, Belguardo began an agronomic and oenological research project dedicated to Vermentino. Four selected clones were planted: two Corsican clones chosen for aromatic character and primary aromas, and two Sardinian clones associated with structure and savoury character.

The project initially produced Codice V. Beginning with the 2021 harvest, it evolved into Belguardo V Maremma Toscana DOC Vermentino Superiore. Francesco Mazzei, serving as President of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Maremma Toscana, strongly supported the approved addition of the Vermentino Superiore category to the denomination. The category was intended to distinguish the denomination’s highest-level Vermentino production and position it in a premium segment. Belguardo V became the first Maremma Toscana DOC Vermentino Superiore released to the market.

New varieties and renewed estate activity

Ciliegiolo entered the range with the 2023 vintage, drawing on a local variety historically cultivated in Maremma. In 2025, experimentation with red Grenache—also identified at the estate with Alicante—led to Grenache in Bianco. The initial intention had been to make a very pale rosé, but cellar trials redirected the project toward immediate pressing and white vinification without skin contact. The 2025 vintage became the first release.

On 17 May 2025, Tenuta Belguardo hosted the annual Cavalieri gathering of the Mazzei Wine Club for the first time. The program combined a guided vineyard walk or private winery visit, an aperitif at the estate, a vertical tasting devoted to Belguardo’s Vermentino Superiore project at the Granaio Lorenese, and a gala dinner built around Maremman cuisine and the estate’s principal red cru.

Belguardo is also proceeding through an agricultural conversion as part of the Mazzei family’s broader sustainability program. Its vineyard work combines the elimination of herbicides and chemical fertilizers, estate-produced organic compost, alternating-row green manures and biological pest-control measures.

Position and relief

Tenuta Belguardo lies in the Tuscan Maremma, on hills between Grosseto and Montiano and close to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The estate address is at Poggio La Mozza in the municipality of Grosseto, while vineyard specifications also identify Località Montebottigli. Vineyard elevations extend approximately from 50 to 180 metres above sea level. The slopes range from 10% to 19%, and the vineyards principally face south, southwest and west.

Soils

The vineyards occupy poor, skeletal soils with abundant stones and fine gravel created by the breakdown of sandstone and alberese, a limestone-and-clay formation. Soil texture varies across the property. Medium-textured sections retain water comparatively well, while lighter sandy areas have high drainage capacity. This variation supports the estate’s broad combination of local and international varieties.

The Vermentino plantings are associated with medium-textured, very stony soils rich in sandstone. Their average elevation is around 90 metres. The open coastline is approximately 10 kilometres away, with no major barrier to the arrival of sea breezes.

Maritime microclimate

The Tyrrhenian Sea strongly influences Belguardo’s microclimate. Thermal currents are particularly important during spring and summer, while constant ventilation moderates strong solar exposure. Conditions are characterized by low humidity, rainfall below the local average, and high combined evaporation and plant transpiration.

The interaction of sunlight, cooling airflow, elevation, exposure, slope and varied soil texture allows varieties with markedly different requirements to be cultivated within the same estate. Belguardo associates these conditions with wines combining concentration and complexity with aromatic definition and elegance.

Vineyard establishment

The present vineyards are the result of an intensive replanting program begun immediately after the Mazzei family’s acquisition. The work involved deliberate selection of varieties and clones for the estate’s different soil and microclimatic conditions. Planting densities range from 5,500 to 6,600 vines per hectare. Current vineyard material includes local and international varieties as well as further experimental plantings.

Sustainable soil management

Belguardo participates in the Mazzei family’s sustainable agricultural-management program, whose objective is the stability of the ecosystem and its biodiversity. Herbicides and chemical fertilizers have been eliminated. Pruned shoots, grape stalks, grape marc, olive pomace and horse manure are recovered and composted to produce an entirely organic estate fertilizer.

Green manure is used to increase soil organic matter naturally and enrich agro-ecosystem biodiversity. Species sown in alternating rows include field bean, common vetch, sainfoin, clovers, oats, barley, phacelia, mustard, pannonica, lupin, pea and horseradish. These plants are cut after setting seed.

Water management and land arrangement are intended to reduce runoff, increase soil organic matter, limit erosion and preserve soil-water reserves. These measures reflect the family philosophy of maintaining the hydrogeological balance and passing intact land to future generations.

Pest control and conversion

Biological pest control includes the use of sex pheromones against principal vine and olive pests, minimizing reliance on synthetic insecticides. Belguardo’s agricultural conversion remains in progress. The estate’s vineyards are also equipped with drip irrigation, used when necessary to balance irregular seasonal conditions.

Harvest

Harvesting is carried out by hand across the estate’s documented vineyard selections. Picking dates are adapted to variety and season; the broad varietal mix means that earlier-ripening Ciliegiolo, Vermentino and Grenache can precede Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sangiovese, later Vermentino selections and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tenuta Belguardo produces eight wines: four reds, three whites and one rosé. The portfolio combines Maremma Toscana DOC, Morellino di Scansano DOCG and Toscana IGT wines and is built around both local and international varieties.

The estate’s production work is explicitly research-led. The Vermentino project launched in 2008 combined vineyard clone selection with cellar trials. Its methods have included skin contact, amphora, stainless steel, lees ageing and bâtonnage. Red-wine production represented across the estate uses concrete or temperature-controlled tanks for fermentation and maceration, followed in selected cases by French-oak maturation and a final period in concrete.

Harvested fruit is hand-picked. Production choices vary by variety and intended expression rather than following a single formula. Ciliegiolo, for example, has been handled in concrete, while the principal Cabernet cru uses extended maturation in small French-oak barrels followed by concrete. The Grenache-in-white project demonstrates the role of experimentation: a planned pale rosé was redirected toward immediate pressing and separation from the skins, producing a white wine from red grapes.

The range therefore spans brief rosé skin contact, white vinification without skin contact, conventional white fermentation, extended Vermentino skin contact, concrete-fermented reds and barrel-matured red cru production.

Belguardo’s declared identity is innovative, eclectic and closely tied to the expressive potential of the Maremman site. The Mazzei family applies experience accumulated over 25 generations while seeking different expressions appropriate to each estate, with respect for the individual character of every territory.

Local varieties are treated as expressions of regional identity. At Belguardo this includes Sangiovese, Alicante/Grenache, Ciliegiolo and Vermentino, cultivated beside international grapes selected for the estate’s particular conditions. Research, clone selection and cellar experimentation are used to reveal differences among varieties rather than impose one uniform style.

The stellated icosahedron chosen as Belguardo’s emblem condenses this philosophy. Its geometry represents imagination, experience, passion, precision, perspective, elegance and style. Every point and face stands at the same distance from the centre while retaining its own form, an analogy for wines with distinct personalities belonging to one estate.

Environmental responsibility is framed as continuity between generations. The family’s principles emphasize respect for nature and diversity, sustainable agriculture, protection from erosion, preservation of soil-water reserves and delivery of intact land to future generations. In practice, this is reflected in organic compost production, green manure, biological pest control, careful water management and Belguardo’s continuing agricultural conversion.