Val di Suga

The valley before Val di Suga

The estate lies in a valley on the northern side of Montalcino, crossed by the Suga stream. Its name may derive from the cork oaks believed to have grown along the stream from the sixteenth century onward. During the 1960s, land previously devoted to arable crops and fruit trees was gradually converted to vineyards.

1969–1975: establishment and first releases

Val di Suga began in 1969 with the purchase of an estate in northern Montalcino. Only part of this recognized winegrowing area was planted with vines at the time, and the new estate continued converting former farmland and orchards to viticulture.

The first harvest took place in 1973. Two years later, in 1975, the first wine carrying the Val di Suga name was released.

The 1980s: a single-vineyard project

During the 1980s, Val di Suga began pursuing Brunello from precisely defined sites and individual vineyards. This represented a departure from the predominantly blend-oriented approach described for that period.

Vigna del Lago became the first cru in 1983. The vineyard lies between the lake and the winery on the estate’s northern side.

Vigna Spuntali followed in 1988. The 15-hectare vineyard, acquired shortly before the cru was created, occupies the southwestern side of Montalcino and faces toward the sea.

1994: Tenimenti Angelini

Val di Suga became part of Tenimenti Angelini in 1994. Under the new ownership, the area under vine was enlarged and the cellar was both modernized and expanded.

2009: Poggio al Granchio

The Poggio al Granchio cru was created in 2009 from a recently acquired, 20-hectare vineyard on the southeastern side of Montalcino, close to Monte Amiata. This addition established the estate’s presence on a third slope of the appellation.

2023: three-site identity

A modernization of Val di Suga’s corporate identity was completed in 2023. The renewed presentation centered on three winegrowing areas—Vigna Spuntali, Poggio al Granchio and Vigna del Lago—situated on three different sides of Montalcino.

The three terroirs are interpreted through three single-vineyard Brunello wines. Estate-level Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino complement them by seeking balance among the characteristics of the different vineyards.

Three sides of Montalcino

Val di Suga is organized around three principal vineyards on different sides of the Montalcino appellation. Their contrasting soils, vegetation and climatic influences underpin three separate expressions of Brunello di Montalcino. Across the estate, the soils range from galestro schist through sands derived from degraded Pietraforte to clay.

Vigna Spuntali

Vigna Spuntali occupies the southwestern side and faces toward the sea. Maritime influence contributes to a dry, sunny and well-ventilated Mediterranean climate. Its sandy soils derive from the degradation of Pietraforte. Olive trees and Mediterranean scrub surround the vineyard, including myrtle, helichrysum and rosemary.

Poggio al Granchio

Poggio al Granchio lies on the southeastern side of Montalcino near Monte Amiata. Its climate is warmer and more continental, while the mountain’s proximity creates a pronounced difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. The soils are galestro schist. Oak, holm oak and broom characterize the surrounding vegetation.

Vigna del Lago

Vigna del Lago is on the northeastern side of Montalcino, between a lake and the winery. The setting recalls the rolling landscape of the Crete Senesi, with hills and rows of cypresses. The soils are clay. The climate is continental, with harsh winters and very hot summers, while the adjacent lake slightly moderates local conditions.

The vineyard technical sheet places Vigna del Lago at 280 metres above sea level.

Vigna del Lago is planted at a high density of 7,500 vines per hectare and trained to a double spur-pruned cordon. Canopy management includes leaf removal, cluster thinning and shoot trimming.

Harvesting at Vigna del Lago is organized by microzone. Grapes are picked manually and placed in crates before arriving at the cellar.

Site-specific cellar organization

The three principal vineyards have separate ageing areas, allowing their contrasting characters to be handled independently. The cellar program uses barriques and oval or truncated-cone large-format wooden vessels, followed in several cases by concrete and bottle maturation.

Vigna del Lago processing

For Vigna del Lago, grapes harvested manually by microzone undergo destemming and optical selection. Fermentation lasts 8–12 days at 20–28°C with gentle extraction. A post-fermentation maceration follows for 15–20 days at 30°C.

The current Vigna del Lago program matures the wine for 24 months in 40-hectolitre oval Slavonian oak vessels, followed by six months in concrete and 9–12 months in bottle.

Vineyard-specific maturation vessels

Vigna Spuntali has a dedicated ageing cellar. Its Brunello maturation sequence comprises six months in French oak barriques, followed by 24 months in 25-hectolitre oval Austrian-wood vessels, approximately three months in concrete and 12–15 months in bottle. The Vigna Spuntali Rosso program uses 40-hectolitre Slavonian oak vessels for six months, followed by 12 months in concrete.

Poggio al Granchio also has a dedicated cellar. Its maturation comprises 24 months in 60-hectolitre French oak vessels, six months in concrete and 9–12 months in bottle.

The estate’s blended Brunello matures for 24 months in 50-hectolitre Slavonian oak vessels, followed by 12 months in concrete and further bottle ageing. The estate Rosso matures for six months in 50-hectolitre Slavonian oak vessels.