Fattoria Sammontana - 'Primo Fuoco Bianco' - Trebbiano - Tuscany, IT - 2021

Notes from the Winery/Importer

In the language of potters, Primo Fuoco — "the first firing" — is the moment raw clay is transformed into terracotta. It is an apt name for a wine of equal craft and intention. Born from a careful selection of the finest Trebbiano Toscano grapes on the estate, this wine is naturally fermented and aged in a handmade 500L amphora of local terra rossa — the same red clay that has defined this landscape for centuries. Fermentation unfolds slowly with indigenous yeasts, with daily pump-overs and punch-downs to gently coax out complexity. After roughly three months of skin maceration, the wine is drawn off and returned to amphora for a further six months of quiet aging. The result is a wine of rare depth and texture — a true expression of organic and biodynamic viticulture at its most thoughtful. Produced in limited quantities of approximately 1,200 bottles annually.

Notes on the Producer

The Story The Fattoria di Sammontana, with its adjacent Romanesque church of the 12th century, was originally a property of the Medici family, Grand Dukes of Tuscany. It was donated to the religious canons of the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. The monks used the property as a place of rest and retirement, but they also built a large underground cellar and a grand furnace with overlapping arches for the production of pottery and terracotta. In 1867, the main building along with the church, furnace, and entire farm was purchased by Michele Dzieduszycki, a Polish nobleman who loved spending his vacations in Tuscany. His son, Maurizio, specialized in art and Renaissance literature, married an Italian woman, and settled permanently in Tuscany. But it is Maurizio’s son, Massimo, who first directed the farm toward excellence in quality wine and olive oil production. Today, the family—now in its fourth generation—runs the farm according to organic and biodynamic principles, preserving the traditions and winemaking secrets of this land. The Land Our vineyards and olive groves slope gently down the hillsides that border the east side of the Arno Valley in Montelupo Fiorentino, just 20 km from Florence. We tend about 13 hectares of vineyards and more than 3,000 olive trees, planted between 70 and 150 meters above sea level. The soil is alluvial, full of stones, gravel, and pebbles of various sizes, technically referred to as “skeletons.” This soil, often defined as “ungrateful,” is precisely what gives character and personality to our wines. Our Work in the Vineyard Our philosophy is traditional, rooted in old habits and respect for the land. The transition to organic and later biodynamic agriculture was a natural step. - Seasonal practices: Work begins in the fall after harvest with “green manure,” sowing legumes and grasses between the vine rows. In spring, these are cut and buried to enrich the soil. When needed, manure is added. - Pruning & training: Manual pruning and tying are carried out—using spurred cordon in some cases and Guyot in others. - Green harvest: Before summer, we selectively thin grapes to reduce yields, ensuring healthier vines and higher quality fruit. - Biodynamic treatments: We apply preparations like “manure horn” (cow horn filled with composted manure) to the soil and silica sprays to the leaves, both diluted in “dynamized” water. Treatments with sulfur and copper are used sparingly, only when necessary, and always according to lunar rhythms. - Harvest: All grapes are harvested by hand, beginning with white varieties and early-ripening reds, followed by the traditional varietals, and finally grapes for Vinsanto, which are dried on straw mats. Our Work in the Cellar Our aim is for our wines to express the personality, peculiarities, and characteristics of our terroir. - White grapes: Softly pressed, the juice is separated from the skins and left to decant at low temperature before moving to steel tanks, where fermentation begins naturally on indigenous yeasts. - Red grapes: Fermented naturally in large concrete tanks without added yeasts, enzymes, or tannins. The must undergoes frequent pump-overs, délestages, and punch-downs. After fermentation, open-air rackings are carried out multiple times to oxygenate the wine, avoiding filtration or clarification that could diminish its originality. - Aging: Depending on the wine, some are bottled young, while others mature in oak barrels or terracotta amphorae. Through all these processes, a line of continuity emerges: wines that carry the distinctive mark of our land and our work, expressing a unique soil and environment distinct from much of Chianti.