Tenuta di Biserno

From Ornellaia to Bibbona: A second masterpiece by the Antinoris

The history of Tenuta di Biserno begins in 1994, when Marchese Lodovico Antinori explored the hills of Bibbona in the Alta Maremma while looking for land for his then-estate, Ornellaia. What he found was too independent, too stony, and too hilly to be annexed to Ornellaia — and too good to leave behind. When Lodovico sold Ornellaia in 2002, he fell back on this terrain: 2001 saw him, his brother Marchese Piero Antinori, and their common nephew Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi found Tenuta di Biserno. The Antinori family brought not only capital but also one of Italy's oldest wine dynasties — Piero had co-invented the Supertuscan with Tignanello in 1971, and Lodovico had opened the Bolgheri chapter with Ornellaia in 1988. Biserno was their joint next step.

From the parcel-specific investigation of the area, three independent operations eventually emerged: Tenuta di Biserno, Campo di Sasso, and Collemezzano. Since 2014, Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi has led the estate operationally as managing director. In 2016, Lodovico's daughter Sophia Antinori joined and inspired another line of the house with the Sof rosé.

Parcel thinking on the coast: terroir, harvest, and cellar work

The core vineyard area of Tenuta di Biserno comprises around 40 hectares at about 90 meters above sea level — north of Bolgheri, but outside the local DOC boundaries, which is why all wines are classified as Toscana IGT. The terroir is distinctly diverse: alluvial and clay-limestone soils alternate with marine and volcanic deposits, in addition to different exposures and distances to the Tyrrhenian Sea. This diversity is not a disadvantage, but a program. Each parcel is vinified separately to preserve its own character. The harvest is done exclusively by hand, and the grapes are selected on sorting tables. In the cellar, the must ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks; maturation takes place in French barriques — for the flagship Biserno, about 15 months in new barrels, followed by further bottle aging. The vineyards are cultivated in a near-natural and sustainable manner.

Bordeaux-style cuvées with Tuscan precision

The focus is on four Bordeaux grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot — with Cabernet Franc taking the style-defining role, a rarity in the Maremma. The cool sea breezes, the intense sun, and the mineral-rich, permeable soils result in grapes with high concentration and lively acidity at the same time. The range is clearly structured: Biserno is the house's great cuvée — dense, profound, with potential for long cellar aging. Il Pino di Biserno interprets the same terroir in a more accessible and lively way. The Insoglio del Cinghiale forms the entry into the range without sacrificing origin character. All three lines are united by the goal that Lodovico Antinori formulated from the beginning: wines that stand on equal footing with the great Bordeaux cuvées — grown on Tuscan soil.