About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The grapes are grown in the Corbara area and neighbouring communes. The vineyards lie at 300 m above sea level, face southwest and have a planting density of 4,500 vines per hectare. The poor soils consist of gravelly ground.
Grapes
A small proportion of Pinot Nero is added in some years.
Vinification
Each variety is vinified separately. The grapes undergo ten days of skin maceration at 25–26 °C, followed by alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless-steel tanks.
Ageing
The wine matures for ten months in French oak barrels, followed by several additional months in bottle.
Tasting profile
The wine is concentrated, with a balanced, elegant, complex and enveloping bouquet and a long finish.
Label / history
Sartiano was the name of the first recorded keeper, or guardian, of Orvieto’s vineyards in the 13th century; Tenuta Civitatis was also known by this name. The guardian ensured that vineyard work was performed properly and that the quality of the area’s grapes was maintained.
The Bigi family’s winemaking history began in 1880 with Luigi Bigi. The estate was formerly owned by the La Trinita monastery and stands on a hill of volcanic origin. Orvieto has long had a distinctive microclimate, and vines have been cultivated there since Etruscan times. The first written record dates to 1292. Three years later, an official committee known as the “Guardians of the Vineyards” was established to preserve vine quality. Local technological developments included a network of underground galleries and a method in which grapes were pressed at ground level.
