History
Family roots and the acquisition of Colle Bereto
Lorenzo Pinzauti’s connection to rural life reaches back to his father, whose memories included selling local produce in Florence’s neighbourhood markets. Although Lorenzo’s passion for mechanics eventually took his professional life in a different direction, the Tuscan countryside and nature retained a central place in his outlook.
In the late 1970s, Lorenzo and his wife decided to buy a property in Chianti where they could spend weekends and leisure time with their children. They quickly chose Colle Bereto, then a still largely undiscovered hamlet in Radda in Chianti. The place had retained the appearance of the preceding century and remained somewhat wild. Life there became both the fulfilment of a family dream and an experience that drew the family closer together.
Restoration of the historic hamlet
The family’s first major project was to restore dignity to the property while safeguarding its architectural identity. The origins of the hamlet’s buildings date to the 11th century. Subsequent improvements have continued to balance contemporary use with the preservation of Colle Bereto’s authenticity.
The cellars were already housed within the original structures. Following extensive restoration, they remained in those historic rooms but were reorganised around modern winemaking techniques. The natural slope beneath the old buildings made it possible to introduce gravity-based transfers.
The family also rehabilitated three hectares of land, reconstructing the old terraces and dry-stone walls. This recovered a landscape whose earlier construction had required considerable manual labour before tractors and suitable mechanical equipment were available.
Establishing a wine identity
From the beginning of its activity at Colle Bereto, the family sought to produce wine with an identity inseparable from the estate rather than one shaped by fashion or preferred markets. The 1983 production was the first in which they felt they had achieved precisely the result they wanted.
Experience subsequently reinforced an uncompromising approach to grape selection, including the willingness to reject fruit that did not meet the required standard. The family came to define successful wine through the conjunction of a favourable season, suitable land and passionate, exceptional care in both vineyard and cellar.
Expansion of the range
In 2008, Colle Bereto presented the first disgorgement of Colle B., its rosé traditional-method sparkling wine. The estate’s white wine was introduced under the name Albo.
Beginning with the 2010 vintage, pure Sangiovese from Vigna del Convento was dedicated to a single-vineyard Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. The vineyard’s fruit had previously been combined with the estate’s other best grapes for the Riserva.
Colle Bereto now comprises 60 hectares, including 17 hectares of vineyards, and is certified organic. Total production is approximately 80,000 bottles. Around 50,000 bottles comprise Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva and Chianti Classico Gran Selezione made from Sangiovese. The remaining production includes the Pinot Noir-based IGT Il Cenno and Merlot-based IGT Il Tocco, together with Colle B. and Albo.
At every harvest, the family continues to examine details that can be improved, treating the estate’s development as an ongoing process founded on patience and respect for the land.
Terroir
Colle Bereto lies in Radda in Chianti, Tuscany. Its vineyards extend along the valley floor in an open, fan-like arrangement and face south-west. Their altitude ranges from 500 to 550 metres above sea level.
The soils contain abundant marl and limestone over a substantial rocky substratum. The combination supports the estate’s Sangiovese as well as its Pinot Noir and Merlot plantings.
Within the estate, Vigna del Convento occupies a site below the convent of Santa Maria in Radda in Chianti. Its exposure is associated with the particularly elegant character of its Sangiovese.
Winemaking
Colle Bereto is a certified-organic estate. Viticultural quality rests on rigorous grape selection and the willingness to reject fruit that does not meet the intended standard.
The rehabilitation of three hectares of terraces and dry-stone walls returned historically worked land to cultivation while preserving its traditional structure. Vineyard management is framed by patience, close attention and respect for the land. Each harvest is treated as an opportunity to identify details that can still be improved.
The winery occupies the original rooms within the historic hamlet. These spaces were retained through extensive restoration and reorganised around modern winemaking techniques. The cellar was conceived as a welcoming wine room within the ancient buildings rather than as a separate industrial structure.
The natural slope supporting the old buildings permits gravity-based transfers through the cellar. The production philosophy begins with careful grape selection, including the rejection of fruit that does not meet the estate’s standard. Beyond gravity handling and selection, no general technical protocol for crushing, fermentation, maceration, maturation, clarification, filtration or bottling is defined.
Philosophy
Family and place
Colle Bereto’s guiding values are family and attachment to the land. The acquisition of the estate began as a family dream, and the experience of restoring and working it strengthened those ties.
Identity over fashion
From the outset, the family’s objective was to make wine recognisably belonging to Colle Bereto, independent of changing fashions or favoured markets. The project therefore treats the estate itself—not external trends—as the foundation of wine identity.
Patience and selection
The family regards time, care and patience as essential because the countryside does not respond immediately to human effort. Quality requires close grape selection and the resolve to discard fruit when necessary. Their formulation of a good wine brings together three elements: a good growing season, good land and a passionate person capable of caring exceptionally for both vineyard and cellar work.
Restoration and continual improvement
Architectural and agricultural restoration are pursued without erasing the hamlet’s historic character. Contemporary improvements are accepted when they allow Colle Bereto to function effectively while remaining authentic. Each harvest prompts a renewed examination of details that can be refined, with progress understood as gradual and continuing. Respect for the land is the constant principle behind that work.