Storia
The Chianti program
Poggio Piglia is an 11 ha organic vineyard estate near Chiusi, Tuscany. Its earliest dated production milestone is 1997, the first vintage of the Chianti associated with the property. The wine was initially presented as Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG. By the 2013 vintage, 9 ha at Poggio Piglia supplied a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Mammolo. That vintage was processed with intensive sorting and pressure-based fermenters powered by gas and energy generated within the wider Salcheto operation.
Estate summaries issued in 2014 and 2017 described Poggio Piglia as an 11 ha organic holding devoted to Chianti Colli Senesi. A 2018 summary retained the 11 ha figure but referred more broadly to Chianti. By the 2017 vintage, Chianti Biskero drew on Poggio Piglia’s 9 ha alongside an additional estate at Torrita di Siena, and Merlot had joined Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Mammolo in the blend.
Current Chianti Biskero production continues to identify 9 ha at Poggio Piglia. The latest composition is Sangiovese 85%, Canaiolo 5%, Mammolo 5% and Merlot 5%. The estate also supplies Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Mammolo to the Tempo Chianti project.
Development of the white-grape program
A second production strand developed around Poggio Piglia’s white-grape rows. Obvius Giallo Oro has been bottled since 2015. It is based on Trebbiano and Malvasia harvested when noble rot first appears, then fermented and matured in tonneaux before different vintages are blended together.
Obvius Bianco followed with its first vintage in 2016. Its core is Trebbiano from Poggio Piglia, combined with Vermentino sourced through collaborations with other Tuscan growers. The 2018 version partnered Poggio Piglia fruit with Vermentino from the biodynamic Incontri estate at Suvereto; the current version uses Vermentino associated with Greppiano at Lamporecchio and also includes fruit from Il Greppo at Abbadia di Montepulciano. The current technical specification assigns 1 ha of the blend’s source vineyards to Poggio Piglia.
The estate has also contributed fruit to the Obvius Rosato program since that wine’s first vintage in 2013. That rosé has always been a multi-estate blend, so its production cannot be attributed to Poggio Piglia alone.
Terroir
Poggio Piglia lies near Chiusi in Tuscany. Its soils consist of mixed clays, while its climate is more continental than that of Salcheto’s Montepulciano property. These conditions support both vines and olive trees and are associated with pronounced aromatic expression in the estate’s olive oil.
Further site-specific information on altitude, exposure, slope, rainfall, geological origin, winds and diurnal temperature variation is not available.
Vinificazione
The 11 ha vineyard holding is organically managed. Sangiovese destined for the current Chianti program is harvested by hand and handled gently. Earlier Chianti production also involved intensive selection-table work after harvest.
For the sweet white program, Trebbiano and Malvasia are left until the first signs of noble rot and selectively harvested at that stage. Details concerning pruning, training systems, planting density, soil cultivation, cover crops, disease protection, irrigation, biodiversity measures and yield limits are not specified for Poggio Piglia.
Chianti
Current Chianti production uses hand-harvested Sangiovese, native yeasts and no added sulphites. After fermentation, 30% of the wine matures for four months in 300 L American-oak tonneaux; the remainder is not described as receiving wood maturation. The assembled wine receives a further three months of bottle refinement. The current Chianti is made from Poggio Piglia fruit together with grapes from other Salcheto-associated estates.
For the 2013 Chianti Colli Senesi, Poggio Piglia was the sole vineyard named. Grapes underwent intensive sorting before entering pressure-based fermenters powered by internally generated gas and energy. Thirty percent of that wine matured in tonneaux for four months, followed by three months in bottle.
Dry white production
Trebbiano from Poggio Piglia forms the basis of Obvius Bianco. It is combined with Vermentino and interpreted through fermentation and maturation in stainless steel. The wine is bottled unfiltered and follows a grapes-only approach without added sulphites, selected yeasts or tannins. The current technical specification gives a four-month maturation divided between 70% stainless steel and 30% wood, followed by three months in bottle. Because the wine includes grapes from several properties, those proportions describe the complete blend rather than Poggio Piglia fruit in isolation.
Noble-rot and multi-vintage production
Trebbiano and Malvasia from 2 ha of Poggio Piglia’s white rows are harvested at the first appearance of noble rot. The grapes ferment and mature for 12 months in tonneaux. Wines from different vintages are then blended to balance sweetness, freshness and drinkability, followed by six months of refinement in bottle. The process uses grapes alone, without added sulphites. The resulting non-vintage wine has been bottled since 2015.
Rosé contribution
Poggio Piglia also contributes grapes to the multi-estate Obvius Rosato. The current process comprises four months of maturation, divided between 70% stainless steel and 30% wood, followed by three months in bottle. The wine is unfiltered and made without added sulphites, selected yeasts or tannins.
Filosofia
Poggio Piglia’s production follows two complementary directions. Chianti is conceived as a fruit-led, readily approachable expression in which Sangiovese remains central and oak plays a limited supporting role. The white and rosé programs pursue a grapes-only model intended to combine minimal additions with aromatic precision, control of reductive and volatile instability, and reliability through time.
The multi-vintage sweet-wine program treats blending as a means of finding equilibrium, drinkability and versatility rather than emphasizing a single harvest. Organic farming, hand harvesting and same-day processing of the estate’s olives extend this attention to agricultural material beyond wine.