Fattoria Varramista is a timeless place that, in the last six centuries, has hosted intellectuals, well- notable people of the Italian and international artistic, cultural and entrepreneurial scene. The company’s land is of about 400 hectares, in the municipality of Montopoli in Val d’Arno, in the Pisa province. It is located between two valleys formed by the River Arno among Empoli, Lucca and Livorno, and it is not that far from Florence, the capital of the Italian Renaissance.
It is said that Varramista was donated by the Republic of Florence to Gino di Neri Capponi who in 1406, at the command of the Florentine militia, won the war over the city of Pisa. Among the most illustrious in Florentine and Italian history since the twelfth century, the Capponi family built the villa as an outpost against the Pisans. The project was thanks to Bartolomeo Ammannati, a famous Florentine architect of the Medici court, who participated in the transformation of “Palazzo Pitti” and the construction of the “Fontana del Nettuno” of the Signoria in Florence. The main building was completed after about a century, in 1589, as showed in the carvings under the roof. The Capponi family remained owners of the villa until 1900 and hosted over centuries famous characters such as Alessandro Manzoni.
After World War II, the estate was bought by Enrico Piaggio, when the factory in Pontedera began to produce the “Vespa” scooter. At its peak, it hosted some of the iconic Italian celebrities, such as Count Emilio Pucci di Barsento, Marcello Mastroianni, Count Clemente Zileri dal Verme, Countess Franca Spalletti Trivelli. In 1959 the wedding of Antonella Bechi Piaggio, Duchess of Visconti di Modrone, and Umberto Agnelli was also celebrated there.
In the 1990s, Giovanni Alberto Agnelli chose Varramista as his home residence. He deals with the vineyard renovation, giving life to the finest wines of the estate. In 1996 Varramista hosted his wedding with Avery Howe. After Giovannino Agnelli’s death, his mother, Antonella Bechi Piaggio, opened the doors of the estate to the world, promoting Varramista’s style.
In the area where Varramista is located, climate change is not particularly noticeable, thanks to a hill that rises towards the Tyrrhenian Sea and shelters the vineyards from hot-humid influences. The medium-textured soil, that includes silt, clay and Pliocene sea sands, also promotes high-quality viticulture.
The vineyard only stretches for about ten hectares and has the advantage of giving each plant the needed care. Over time, the Sangiovese and Syrah grapes have been selected. Yields are very low with the maximum care paid to the agronomic vineyard management, from the budburst to the harvested bunch. Harvesting involves a careful selection of the grapes, always according to the climatic trend. All production is organic certified from the 2021 harvest onwards.
The wine we are talking about today is Varramista, 100% Syrah and an emblem of the company. The vines are spurred cordon trained and the vineyard stretches for one and a half hectares with a south-southwest aspect and slopes with a 10% gradient. The planting density is very high, as many as 8,000 plants per hectare, that stimulate the competition of the roots in search of water and nutrients, thus increasing the average quality of the final product.
In the cellar, the vinification takes place with indigenous yeasts, with several daily pumping over to allow good extractions and proper oxygenation of the cap. The wine, before being put on the market, ages for 15 months in barriques and for about 2 years in the bottle.
At Life of Wine we tasted four vintages: let us see how it went.
Varramista 2019
The vintage was one of the most balanced of the decade. Spring recorded average temperatures and levels of rainfall, with a rather late budding in early April and flowering in late May. The not very rainy summer allowed excellent ripening of the grapes and harvest took place in mid-September.
The wine was ruby in colour with violet flashes. On the nose, it revealed floral hints of carnation, fruity notes of blackcurrant and blackberry, with herbaceous nuances on a peppery finish. In the mouth, the wine was still very dynamic, with a prevailing freshness that shows all of its youth. The tannin is the main character of the wine that has a long finish on balsamic tones.
Varramista 2017
A vintage that has recorded temperatures and definitely higher than the seasonal average. Winter and spring were mild and dry and led to early budding in late March. Unfortunately, a late spring frost in mid-April compromised part of the yield. Only the summit areas were not affected by the low temperatures, thus saving the most suitable parcels. The summer was very hot and led to early harvesting at the end of August.
The wine was ruby in colour with garnet flashes. On the nose it had floral and fruity hints of blackberry, cherry jam, followed by aromatic herbs, oriental spices, tobacco and incense tones on the finish. On the palate, the wine was intense, but the freshness was well balanced with good softness and very firm tannins. The finish was long with a peppery aftertaste.
Varramista 2016
With a fairly rainy spring and a hot summer spaced out with some sporadic rainfall, the vintage was characterised by good regularity that also led to a balance in the phenological phases that took places in the right time: budding in early April, flowering in the last ten days of May and harvest in early September.
The vintage gave us a wine with strong character. The wine was quite transparent, bright and lively ruby in colour. On the nose, it had floral hints of lavender and geranium, followed by spicy pink pepper and a varied range of red and black fruit, such as blueberry, plums, followed by balsamic mint notes and Mediterranean maquis. It had a very wide and pleasant olfactory spectrum. In the mouth, the acidity makes the wine dynamic, the tannin was silky, with a profile that made it seem younger than the previous sample tasted. The finish was long with elegant balsamic tones. This Varramista is just at the beginning of a long evolutionary journey.
Varramista 2005
This vintage was medium dry and cool. Budding took place in early April and flowering in late May, quite regularly. The rain was concentrated at the end of summer, contributing to a slower ripening of the grapes, with harvest that took place in the last ten days of September.
The colour of the wine wasgarnet with orange reflections. On the nose it showed an olfactory spectrum with dark tones and forest floor in evidence, followed by berry jam, black cherry in spirit, dried violet, spices and incense. In the mouth, the wine impresses with a vivid freshness, even if toned down by a greater softness, due to the long period spent in the bottle, with very smooth and soft tannins. The finish closed on long savoury notes with mentholated tones. This was an elegant and high quality wine that impressed and fascinated with every sip. Despite its age, this sample would still have a long life ahead of it.
This was a beautiful vertical tasting, with very well-preserved and different wines, that were able to stand the test of time, each one with its own personality. It would be very interesting to have the chance to have the same experience again in the future, possibly with the chance to add more vintages to the tasting.
