From Trento to Terricciola: the Lunelli family in Tuscany
The Lunelli family has been rooted in the Trentino for generations — their name stands worldwide for the sparkling wines of Cantina Ferrari. But in the year 2000, they dared to take the step south: they acquired a wooded hill in the municipality of Terricciola, not far from the Tuscan coast, and thus laid the foundation for Tenuta Podernovo. The place has a much older wine history than the young Tenuta would suggest — from Etruscan times to the present day, wine has been the cultural constant of these hills around Pisa. The fossil archives go back even further: the subsoil, which was covered by the sea around three million years ago, left behind layers of sand, clay and shelly limestone, which are still visible on the soil surface today and give the wines their striking minerality.
Organic certification, Luca D'Attoma and respect for the hill
Tenuta Podernovo is managed according to the principles of organic farming. What began with a voluntary conversion in 2008 has been officially organic certified since 2012. For the cellar-technical orientation, the family brought the renowned Tuscan oenologist Luca D'Attoma on board, who has geared the winery towards red wine quality in organic farming. In the vineyard, they rely on clonal mass selection of the best Sangiovese vines as well as carefully selected Cabernet Franc and Merlot plantings that have been adapted to the soil and microclimate. The cellar building itself is constructed with local natural stone from the immediate vicinity and blends into the landscape in terms of both color and material — a commitment to the morphology of the place, which is also reflected in the vineyard.
Also part of the Tenuta is a historic estate complex from the late 18th century in the typical Tuscan style, carefully restored and used today as accommodation.
Sangiovese as the centerpiece, Cabernet Franc as an exclamation mark
The range of Tenuta Podernovo revolves around four wines, all of which bear the characteristic signature of the house: fine tannin texture, balanced structure, long finish. The Teuto is the purest Sangiovese statement of the Tenuta — it matures for 20 months in large wooden barrels and shows dark fruits, blackberry and coffee bean in the nose, with balsamic notes that unfold with increasing aeration in the glass. The Aliotto combines 60% Sangiovese with Cabernet and Merlot, 12 months of barrique maturation, ruby red color and a bouquet of Morello cherry, preserved fruits and aromatic herbs. The Solenida — its name is a direct homage to the fossil Solenida shells in the Tenuta soil — is a single-varietal Sangiovese that is partially aged in amphorae and shows itself with Amarena cherry, plum and herbal depth. The conclusion is the Auritea, a single-varietal Cabernet Franc under the Denominazione Costa Toscana IGT, which consistently explores the international potential of this site. All four wines carry the organic seal and come from the 24-hectare private property in the hills around Pisa.
