Tenuta di Sesta

Ancient origins of Sesta

The name Sesta has Roman roots. It refers to the sixth milestone beside which the Pieve di S. Maria in Sexta once stood, along an ancient road connecting Roselle and Chiusi. The road had already been an important communication route in the Etruscan period, as indicated by numerous archaeological discoveries made along its course.

The Carta Aretina of 714 records the Pieve di Sesta among the parishes of the Diocese of Chiusi. In later centuries, the parish became the subject of a dispute between the bishops of Arezzo and Siena. Its activity probably declined relatively early, following the foundation of the Abbey of Sant’Antimo in the nearby Valle Starcia around the end of the eighth century and the abbey’s rapid expansion. The entire Sesta territory subsequently became part of the abbey’s possessions.

From the Abbey of Sant’Antimo to the Tolomei family

The estate took shape against the background of the Republic of Siena’s territorial expansion and the decline of the Abbey of Sant’Antimo. In 1462, Pope Pius II—Enea Silvio Piccolomini of Siena—suppressed the abbey. During the period of Sienese expansion, Sesta passed to the noble Tolomei family, who built a chapel there in honour of Saint Catherine of Siena.

The Ciacci family

In 1850, the property passed to Felice and Giovanni Ciacci, brothers from Castelnuovo dell’Abate. This date marks the beginning of the estate’s modern family history and is used as its foundation date.

Giuseppe Ciacci produced Tenuta di Sesta’s first bottles of Brunello in 1966. Only twelve Brunello bottlers were operating at the time, placing Tenuta di Sesta among the historic producers of the Montalcino territory.

Contemporary management

Giovanni Ciacci, Giuseppe’s son, assumed management in 1995. His children Andrea and Francesca subsequently joined him, contributing to the commercial and agronomic sides of the business.

The contemporary phase combines traditional maturation in large oak casks with revised vineyard management designed to respond to climate change and protect the estate’s territory. During the 1990s, an experimental vineyard was planted with a collection of historic clones, which were catalogued and compared under the same soil conditions.

The 3.2-hectare Duelecci vineyard was planted in 1999. Its eastern and western sectors have contrasting soils and respond differently to each season. Beginning with the 2012 vintage, the estate’s Brunello di Montalcino Riserva adopted the Duelecci name. Depending on the year, grapes are selected from Duelecci Est in cooler, adequately rainy seasons or Duelecci Ovest in hotter and drier seasons, making the vineyard designation on the label an indication of the vintage conditions.

Costa di Monte later became a separately identified Brunello expression. It comes from the estate’s highest, latest-ripening vineyard, where the best bunches are selected to emphasize the site’s distinct aromatic and structural character.

Location and relief

Tenuta di Sesta lies in the southern part of the municipality of Montalcino, between Sant’Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell’Abate and close to the Romanesque Abbey of Sant’Antimo. The estate occupies a south-facing slope descending from approximately 400 to 200 metres above sea level. Its vineyards form a long band extending downhill from the winery to the Orcia River, which marks the property boundary.

Altitude and soil change along this descent. The highest ground lies near the estate centre, while the lowest vineyards approach the riverbed. Costa di Monte occupies the estate’s highest vineyard position at approximately 350 metres and ripens later than the other sites.

Microclimate

The vineyards are protected from cold northerly winds. Nearby Monte Amiata helps channel warm air from the Maremma, producing a mild microclimate and allowing harvest to begin earlier than in other areas. Site selection within individual vineyards changes with the season: vigorous, iron-rich western ground can retain freshness during hot, dry years, while the poorer and rockier eastern ground can provide greater concentration in cooler, adequately rainy seasons.

Geology and soils

The cultivated land is of Eocene origin. The soils are generally shallow and poor, with abundant rock and limestone components, including marl and alberese. They have a sub-alkaline pH and predominantly medium textures tending toward clay. Drainage has been installed across the vineyards.

Soil character changes from the highest ground to the Orcia River. The upper sectors include red, iron-rich, clay-influenced soils that resist dry conditions, while land nearer the river is looser and more pebbly. Physical and chemical differences can also occur inside a single vineyard, producing uneven vine development and ripening. Grapes from contrasting zones may consequently be harvested and vinified separately.

All estate vineyards are trained to spurred cordon at approximately 5,000 vines per hectare. Each vine carries four or five spurs, from which the season’s buds and shoots develop. Although the system permits partial mechanisation, most work is completed by hand to respond to the condition of individual vines.

Rootstocks are matched to the physical and chemical characteristics of each vineyard. Historic clonal material has also been studied in an experimental block planted during the 1990s, where different clones could be evaluated on the same soil.

Vineyard work is adapted to climate conditions and to differences among sites. Canopy management around the bunches is used to retain freshness, while excess clusters are thinned to improve concentration and help the remaining fruit ripen evenly. Documented manual operations include winter pruning, shoot thinning, desuckering, counting and limiting bunches per vine, selective cluster thinning and harvest by hand. For Riserva material, individual operations are timed vine by vine, and imperfect fruit is rejected in the vineyard.

Soil and ripeness variation may require different parts of the same vineyard to be harvested separately. The Duelecci vineyard is deliberately managed for low yields and concentrated fruit, with the final choice between its eastern and western sectors governed by seasonal conditions.

Estate cellars

The winery complex contains two separate production spaces: a vinification cellar and an ageing cellar. The vinification cellar stands at the highest point of the estate. An underground pipe connects it with the ageing cellar, allowing wine to move downhill by gravity without pumps.

Vinification takes place in stainless-steel vats equipped with individual temperature-control systems. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation occur in these vessels. Once malolactic fermentation is complete and the wine is biologically stable, it is transferred to oak for maturation.

Maturation

Sangiovese is traditionally matured in large Slavonian oak casks. The estate regards Slavonian oak as suitable for extended ageing because it releases its aromatic influence slowly. Casks average approximately 30 hL, limiting the ratio of wood surface to wine volume and allowing the variety’s character to remain central. Temperature and humidity in the ageing cellar are monitored continuously.

The overall approach combines modern control during fermentation and gravity movement between cellars with traditional maturation in large oak vessels. The objective is to protect the recognizable flavour of Sangiovese Grosso from the Montalcino vineyards rather than cover it with overt oak aromas.