Storia
Historical estate and cellar
Tenuta Pian delle Vigne is a historic Montalcino property whose origins are associated with its former owners’ attachment to viticulture and the land of Montalcino. Its architectural centre is a 19th-century Sienese cassero. Originally intended to defend the surrounding territory, the building now accommodates the cellar used to vinify and mature the estate’s local wines.
Acquisition by Bottega — 2019
Bottega S.p.A. took possession of the property on 11 November 2019. At the time it was presented under the name Domus Vitae; the current name is Tenuta Pian delle Vigne. The acquisition brought an established Montalcino winery into Bottega’s operations and was conceived as an investment in the area’s history, flora and distinctive microclimate.
The acquired property comprised 83 hectares: 75 hectares of woodland and 8 hectares under vine. Its cellar was dedicated to vinifying and maturing Brunello di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Rosso di Montalcino and Sant’Antimo. Depending on the category, wines remain in the cellar for periods ranging from two to four years.
Terroir
Tenuta Pian delle Vigne lies within the commune of Montalcino, in the south-western part of the denomination and close to the village of Camigliano. Montalcino is approximately 40 km south of Siena, in a hilly landscape included in the UNESCO World Heritage area since 2004.
Woodland is the dominant element of the property: 75 of its 83 hectares are wooded, while 8 hectares are planted to vines. These extensive woods help create a microclimate favourable to vine cultivation and grape ripening. The estate and the other Tuscan production sites occupy isolated positions in open countryside, without houses nearby.
The vineyard landscape is hilly. Documented soils are calcareous and clay-rich, contain a substantial stony fraction and are generally not especially deep. The climate is continental: winters are cold without usually becoming excessively severe, while summers can be hot and dry. The terrain produces marked day-to-night temperature variation. Natural ventilation moderates the speed of ripening and reduces disease pressure.
Vinificazione
The vineyards form part of Bottega’s directly managed vineyard programme. Vineyard work is carried out by specialist contractors under the guidance and supervision of the company’s technical manager. All directly managed vineyards are certified under the SQNPI national integrated-production scheme and are either organically certified or progressing through organic certification.
Soil and fertility
Chemical herbicides are not used either between or beneath the rows. Spontaneous ground cover is encouraged and alternate rows are mown. Prunings are shredded and returned to the vineyard to supply organic matter and improve soil structure. Soil analyses have indicated that fertilisation was unnecessary in the recent past.
Water management
The vineyards have not been irrigated. Rainwater-collection projects are under consideration.
Canopy and crop management
A plant-management plan accounts for the expected crop, bud load and the criteria governing shoot trimming, leaf removal and cluster thinning. Production is kept within the applicable appellation limits and aligned with the intended winemaking objectives.
Vineyard protection
Pest-management plans follow integrated or organic control principles in coordination with the surrounding wine-growing district. Decisions are based on meteorological bulletins and direct vineyard inspections. Pest populations are tracked with pheromone traps so that treatments can be timed to actual conditions.
Ripeness and harvest decisions
Grape maturity is followed through vineyard visits and laboratory analyses. Harvest timing is determined by the intended wine style, the minimum maturity indices required by the relevant production rules and the estate’s oenological objectives.
Biodiversity
The plots adjoin wooded areas, making the estate’s 75 ha of woodland an important part of its agricultural setting. Spontaneous cover and alternate-row mowing are also used to support the vineyard environment.
The winery occupies a 19th-century Sienese cassero that was originally a defensive structure. It is used for both vinification and maturation of the Montalcino range: Brunello di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Rosso di Montalcino and Sant’Antimo. Wines remain in the cellar for between two and four years according to category.
Production follows a company-wide quality and food-safety management system covering planning, processing, storage, cleaning and sanitation. Raw materials, work in progress and finished products undergo daily controls, conducted internally and through external laboratories. Storage procedures are designed to conserve energy and water, while cleaning and sanitation instructions are reviewed annually through internal and third-party audits.
In 2024 the Montalcino and Castelnuovo Berardenga wineries together handled 1,147 hL of wine. A separate production figure for Pian delle Vigne is not assigned to that combined total.
Filosofia
The estate’s project centres on enhancing a still largely unspoiled sector of Montalcino and preserving the relationship between its vineyards, extensive woodland, history, flora and local microclimate. Its identity is rooted in attachment to the vineyard and to the land of Montalcino, while the acquisition by Bottega was intended to sustain and develop an established local wine operation.
The production approach combines the continued use of the historic cassero with formal quality-control systems and vineyard management based on integrated or organic protection, permanent spontaneous vegetation, the return of shredded prunings to the soil and avoidance of chemical herbicides and irrigation.