La Lastra

When we took over our small company close to the city of Siena twenty years ago, in the first place we replanted a large part of the vineyards and, on the occasion, above all out of curiosity and a great desire for knowledge and experimentation, we introduced into our viticultural heritage proudly Tuscan, even a very modest quantity of Merlot vines. Since this very small vineyard has reached a good physiological maturity we vinify it in purity and we mature it in a French oak tonneau. The result is a wine of excellence, truly particular and intriguing that we offer, given the small and non-reproducible quantity, in our Personal Edition.

When we took over our small company twenty years ago near the city of Siena, in addition to a very small plot of Merlot, we planted 7 rows of Cabernet Franc. The first in Tuscany, not to be different, but because by studying our terroir we realized that it had those characteristics whereby the Cabernet Franc grapes, if properly ripened and well vinified and aged, could offer us a wine that is not for everyone , but exciting and strongly character. The first years of production disappointed our expectations, a wine that was too herbaceous and tannic but, from the tenth harvest, when the plants reached their physiological maturity, here was the big surprise: a fruity wine where the raspberry replaced the herbaceous, thick, intense and almost moving. Given the very small quantity that we are able to produce, it has rightfully become part of the wines of our Personal Edition.

Since 1995 we have been thinking and trying to make a sweet Passito wine that thrills both the body and the spirit: a few golden bunches of Malvasia and Trebbiano ripened under the Tuscan sun, picked with delicacy and placed in small boxes arranged one by one in the airy room for the long drying period. Weekly check of the concentration of sugars and, usually a few days before Christmas, the pressing, the birth of this must which gives off aromas of apricot, peach, plum that bring the mind back to the summer that has long since passed. We fill a barrique with this nectar and let the fermentation take its course. A long and tiring job that, only after a long time and not always, pays off the sacrifices. Passito is the wine of the soul, spirit and emotion. We only bottle it in vintages that meet these conditions.

From the 800 olive trees adjacent to our Agriturismo Marciano we produce the precious Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: an extremely limited production with remarkable nutritional and organoleptic properties. The low acidity and peroxide value, the high content of Vit. E, polyphenols, phytosterols and chlorophylls, the composition of fatty acids (showing a preponderant presence of oleic acid (monounsaturated) and polyunsaturated fatty acids) make the EVO Oil Marciano is a high quality organic product, rich in precious substances for our psycho-physical well-being. This group of qualitative characteristics is the result of a set of factors that act in synergy: the production area, the climatic conditions, the varieties of the olive tree, the traditional methods of cultivation, the harvest at the right degree of ripeness and the short times that occur between the harvest and the cold pressing of the drupes.

From the 800 olive trees adjacent to our Agriturismo Marciano we produce the precious Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: an extremely limited production with remarkable nutritional and organoleptic properties. The low acidity and peroxide value, the high content of Vit. E, polyphenols, phytosterols and chlorophylls, the composition of fatty acids (showing a preponderant presence of oleic acid (monounsaturated) and polyunsaturated fatty acids) make the EVO Oil Marciano is a high quality organic product, rich in precious substances for our psycho-physical well-being. This group of qualitative characteristics is the result of a set of factors that act in synergy: the production area, the climatic conditions, the varieties of the olive tree, the traditional methods of cultivation, the harvest at the right degree of ripeness and the short times that occur between the harvest and the cold pressing of the drupes.

Canaiolo nero is an ancient autochthonous vine of Tuscany, used in the past to soften Chianti. Twenty years ago, in our company in Siena, out of academic curiosity we vinified it alone: very difficult to vinify, he behaves like a capricious child, he wants extreme attention, it is necessary to dedicate a lot of time to him, but in the end the result pays off the effort . It is a wine with marked varietal characteristics: from black pepper which is evident both on the nose and on the palate, to the sweet aroma of violets and last but not least the sweetness of its tannins. Our Canaiolo wine comes from a young company vineyard, in which we have planted self-produced black Canaiolo rooted cuttings made with company buds from the old planting, in order to remove such a rare and precious vine, defined as the Pinot noir of Tuscany, from genetic erosion for its softness and ease of drinking.

In spring 2019, after years of research in the San Gimignano area, we finally found and acquired some vineyards with rare and particular characteristics: old plants on fresh silt-sandy soils, rich in water and organic for over forty years. From the Rosi vineyard and produced with only organic grapes, our Rosato wine is born. The white vinification of the noble Sangiovese grapes has generated a wine with a pale pink color, a fruity and floral bouquet, an elegant and savory taste. Given the small quantity, it has entered our Personal Edition by right.

Our first edition is that of 1995 entirely produced in San Gimignano and that, even today, when we taste one of the last bottles that we have kept in the cellar excites us! Since 2017, when our vineyards in Siena have reached a good maturity, our persevering oenological curiosity to understand how the same blend produced in a different territory would have behaved has meant that, thanks to the fantastic 2017 harvest, we have put to mature a barrique of Sangiovese, one of Merlot and one of Cabernet Sauvignon. After 18 months of blending and, with great emotion, we understood that that very little wine of great depth deserved to be bottled and here is our Rovaio Personal Edition.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva La Lastra is produced with Vernaccia grapes (98%) and percentages of Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Bianca lunga del Chianti grown organically at about 280 meters above sea level. The grape harvest takes place between mid and late September with manual selection of the bunches. Long fermentation and aging take place in barriques and steel, guaranteeing structure and longevity to this important white. On the nose the bouquet is rich with notes of flowers, citrus fruits, spices and mineral hints. On the palate it is full, sapid and elegant.

Vernaccia Di San Gimignano La Lastra is an organic white wine with an intense straw yellow colour. The nose reveals mineral notes, tropical fruit and citrus. In the mouth it is sapid, fresh and persistent.

Our Chianti Colli Senesi is born from the ancient typicality of this centenary wine aimed at interpreting a new tradition. The vines used are those of the past, only autochthonous and Tuscan, red and white. The Sangiovese bunches, which are 95% of our Chianti, are those of the oldest plants we have in the company, which ripen well beyond the time of the new clones, small and loose bunches, but with a thick skin rich in polyphenols and aromas , crunchy and sugary.