History
The estate within Val d’Orcia
Colle Brezza occupies 36 hectares near Pienza, between Pienza and Montalcino, in the protected landscape of Val d’Orcia. Its established agricultural pattern combines vineyards, olive groves, rotational crops, woodland and a naturally productive white-truffle area. The estate’s name refers to the light land breeze that regularly moves across its gentle slopes.
2019 — entry into the Arillo in Terrabianca project
In 2019, Adriana and Urs Burkard acquired Arillo in Terrabianca and began developing a single Tuscan winegrowing project composed of three distinct estates: Terrabianca in Radda in Chianti, Il Tesoro in Massa Marittima and Colle Brezza in Pienza. Each estate was intended to retain the identity of its own territory rather than become part of a stylistically uniform operation.
Colle Brezza entered this project with an established organic identity. When organic conversion began at Terrabianca and Il Tesoro in 2020, Colle Brezza had already held organic certification for more than ten years.
2020 — first harvest and experimental vinification
Colle Brezza’s first harvest under the project took place in 2020. Sangiovese, Malvasia nera, Canaiolo and Colorino were assigned to experimental micro-vinifications. The work continued beyond that initial vintage as a study of the individual varieties and their response to the estate’s stony, clay-rich soils and warm, wind-tempered microclimate.
2022 — expansion of the vineyards
New vineyard development began in 2022 as part of a 2.3-hectare planting programme. The new vines comprise Canaiolo, Malvasia and Sangiovese, planted in loamy soil with a high proportion of stones and trained to Guyot.
2023 — further planting and an organic vintage
The new-vineyard programme continued in 2023. That year was also the first vintage for which the wider Arillo in Terrabianca operation was certified organic in its entirety, although Colle Brezza itself had achieved organic status much earlier.
The 2023 season brought a rainy spring and substantial phytosanitary pressure. Careful plant-health management limited damage. Summer remained comparatively mild and avoided severe heat spikes, allowing harvest timing to follow the traditional sequence of the varieties. The fruit reached a strong balance between technological and phenolic maturity.
Terroir
Location and landscape
Colle Brezza lies in Val d’Orcia near Pienza, between the “ideal city” of Pienza and the stronghold of Montalcino. The estate forms part of the Val d’Orcia landscape inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Its surroundings combine gentle hills, historic villages, vineyards, towers and extensive, largely undisturbed woodland.
Soils
Stone and clay are defining components of the estate’s terroir. Each of the separately itemized vineyard blocks is described as having loamy soil with a high proportion of rocks. These conditions support a collection of indigenous Tuscan varieties rather than a single-variety planting strategy.
Microclimate
The microclimate is warm but moderated by recurrent winds and breezes. The light land breeze moving regularly over the slopes gives Colle Brezza its name. This ventilation is a central element of the estate’s identity and tempers the warmth of the site.
Agricultural mosaic
The 36-hectare property is not a continuous vineyard. Vines coexist with 10 hectares of olive groves, 15 hectares of rotational forage, legumes, cereals and plantings for pollinating insects and bees, as well as woodland and a naturally productive white-truffle area. This mixed landscape places the vineyards within a broader agricultural and ecological system.
Winemaking
Colle Brezza is an organic boutique farm and had already been certified organic for more than ten years when the other two estates in the wider operation began conversion in 2020.
The farming model gives priority to naturally derived inputs and limits intervention in the land to help restore biodiversity and biological vitality. Vineyard ground cover forms part of this approach. Green manure and compost are used to support living soils, while native plant species and ecological corridors provide habitat and encourage the return of pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies.
The wider agricultural pattern reinforces this biodiversity strategy. Fifteen hectares are managed in rotation with forage, legumes, cereals and plantings intended for pollinating insects and bees. Vineyards are surrounded by undisturbed woodland, while olive groves and a natural white-truffle area add further habitat diversity.
Climate adaptation includes canopy management intended to reduce water stress and sunburn, together with the selection of varieties and rootstocks able to respond to changing conditions. Weather stations provide data for agronomic decisions and help reduce unnecessary inputs. Harvest timing is determined with attention to phenolic maturity, acidity and aromatic integrity.
The 2023 growing season illustrated this responsive approach. A wet spring created significant plant-health pressure, but carefully managed phytosanitary work limited losses. Mild summer conditions without extreme heat spikes then permitted an orderly ripening period and harvesting in the traditional sequence of the varieties.
Colle Brezza’s first recorded harvest within the project took place in 2020. Rather than being directed immediately into a commercial wine, Sangiovese, Malvasia nera, Canaiolo and Colorino were separated for experimental micro-vinifications. This programme continues as a means of interpreting the behaviour and character of the estate’s indigenous varieties.
The production approach is minimalist and low-intervention, with the aim of retaining the identity of the fruit and the distinctions between growing seasons. Harvest decisions seek the point at which phenolic maturity, acidity and aromatic integrity are in balance.
No commercial Colle Brezza wine, dedicated estate cellar, fermentation vessel, maceration regime, maturation vessel, maturation period, filtration protocol or bottling procedure is identified.
Philosophy
Colle Brezza is treated as an individual territorial identity within a three-estate project rather than as an extension of the wines made in Chianti Classico or Maremma. The governing principle is to begin with the terroir, learn from established agricultural knowledge and use innovation without obscuring the identity of the place.
The estate’s stated model is sustainable and minimalist. Human work is understood as interpretation and stewardship of the land, with respect, equilibrium and harmony guiding decisions. Wine is expected to retain both the distinguishing character of its origin and the variations introduced by each season; achieving that result is understood as a gradual process governed by the growth and maturation of the vines rather than by shortcuts.
Within the “Tuscan Theorem,” Colle Brezza represents the Val d’Orcia vertex of a triangle completed by Chianti Classico and Maremma. The project combines three ideas: the “Geometry of Places,” centred on geographic integration and human and environmental wellbeing; the “Music of Nature,” which treats terroir and vintage as a score to be observed and interpreted; and the “Architecture of Wine,” which brings ethical, aesthetic, technological and functional innovation into production.
Environmental sustainability is framed as an everyday responsibility extending from soil to production. Its practical objectives include restoring soil vitality, protecting biodiversity, reducing inputs and emissions, using water carefully, adapting viticulture to climate change and preserving the mixed agricultural landscape for future generations.