Le Bèrne
Le Bèrne is one of the leading wineries changing the narrative around the wines of Montepulciano, Tuscany. For decades Montepulciano has played third fiddle to the more celebrated neighboring regions of Montalcino and Chianti Classico. But the terroir of Montepulciano is just as exciting; it simply required better viticulture and winemaking for it to emerge. And this is the movement of which Le Bèrne is a protagonist.
The story of the winery began in 1967, when the Natalini family acquired the estate and named it for the old Tuscan word for hill. Since 1997, the estate has been run by brother and sister Andrea and Laura, and now, increasingly, by Federico Fastelli, Laura’s son. Although still in his twenties, Federico has winemaking experience worldwide and is inaugurating a new era at the estate, focused on sustainable viticulture and wines of finesse rather than power.
The Wines
The estate is located on the eastern side of the appellation, around 1000 feet of elevation on rolling hills with varied soil types, including limestone, clay, loam and sand. Viticulture is organic; winemaking uses natural yeasts and larger vessels for aging. For the red wines, only indigenous Tuscan varieties are used and in the case of the wines below, exclusively Sangiovese. In spite of a succession of recent hot vintages, the style of the wines emphasizes perfume, purity of fruit and fine-boned tannins.
The latest developments in Montepulciano involve the introduction of the ‘pieve’ (parish) geographical designation. The local Consorzio hopes by permitting the inclusion of the pieve in which the grapes are grown on the label, a greater degree of geographical specificity is available to the drinker. In the case of Le Bèrne, the name appears on the top wine, Alto, their single vineyard selection.
Rosso di Montepulciano Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Alto Pieve Cervognano Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
