Winery Overview
The Caciorgna farm is in the town of Casole d'Elsa, in the province of Siena, an enchanting area in the heart of Tuscany. It is about 18 miles/30 km from Siena and San Gimignano and 31 miles/50 km from Florence. In 1953, Giovanni and Fulvia Caciorgna fell in love with this area, where they decided to move with their seven children, one of which is Pietro. They sold their small "Podere" located near the Tower of Pitino, a beautiful place near San Severino Marche, to buy a small strip of land where they continued farming, a profession passed down through generations. Today the Caciorgna family has a total area of 30 acres/20 ha where they grow cereal, corn, sunflower, fodder for a small breeding of Chianina cattle, and obviously grapes for wine, which initially was only for family consumption. Leading the company is Pietro Caciorgna and his wife Elda, who mainly takes care of the farm, the animals, and the vegetable garden. Early on it did not seem as if any of Pietro Caciorgna’s children would take up his passion for running the modest farm, but renowned enologist, Paolo Caciorgna, recently returned home as a now famous winemaker with international experience and built a small jewel of a winery. In 2007, Paolo was integral in helping to establish a new DOC in Casole d’Elsa, Terre di Casole Sangiovese DOC. He now makes some wines under this regional designation from his hillside vineyard "Osteria delle Macchie" which was planted in 2001 to 5.6 acres/2.3 hectares of Sangiovese. Between 2009 and 2011, he built a cellar to control every step of production and increase quality, making every possible improvement in the different stages, from harvest to bottling. In 2006, a dear friend of Paolo’s, Marco de Grazia, invited Paolo to his farm on Mount Etna, in Sicily, Tenuta delle Terre Nere, where he produces an excellent wine from Nerello Mascalese grapes on the north side of the volcano. Together they visited several vineyards for sale until they found a small jewel, half a hectare of Nerello Mascalese. Paolo bought it and shortly after, purchased another vineyard located in the Contrada called "Bocca d'Orzo or Piano d'Aria" (Randazzo), which he recently expanded. In addition to the properties Paolo purchased, he rents a small vineyard and buys grapes from his neighbors in Sicily. The philosophy of the Caciorgna family is to produce quality while respecting the environment and health of the consumer, so no chemical fertilizers are used. To prevent vine diseases, only traditional products such as copper and sulfur are used.