Albatrella Farm - Marco Cherubini

Fattoria Albatrella was founded in 2015 following our meeting on Marco's childhood lands between the Val d'Orcia and Valdichiana. It was here, in Torrita di Siena, that we began to bring the project to life, restoring the family's old vineyards to safeguard their precious heritage. Today, we produce wine and oil commercially, as well as vegetables, fruit, honey, eggs, and chickens for family use. The farm comprises 14 hectares, all managed organically, including 1.4 hectares of vineyards and 2 hectares of centuries-old olive groves. The arable land is used for hay production.

The vineyards are located in Montefollonico, 500 meters above sea level, on sandy and sandstone soils. The old vineyard, dating back to the 1960s, thrives with Trebbiano, Malvasia, and Grechetto for the white blends, as well as Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo, Mammolo, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and other minor Tuscan varietals. The other vineyard is planted primarily with Sangiovese and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

Our philosophy is based on utmost respect for the environment. We always strive to place soil health and biodiversity enhancement at the heart of our thinking, aiming to minimize the impact of monocultures. We have opted for full grass cover or, alternatively, green manure, and we minimize tractor use (manual labor, animal traction), as well as the use of copper and sulfur.

The harvest is done by hand, very slowly to allow for a careful selection of the bunches before they arrive at the winery. We vinify almost everything in stainless steel tanks, except for small batches that ferment in open barrels. We prepare a pieds de cuve for each style of wine, so only indigenous yeasts are used. Otherwise, we have little intervention, we have no temperature control, and we do not use any products other than sulfites in very limited quantities (at the end of fermentation and before bottling). All wines undergo natural malolactic fermentation and are naturally purified without fining or filtration.