Pian del Gallo - Tinazzi falls for Tuscany

Promotion

The Tinazzi family, owners of the eponymous group with estates in Veneto and Puglia, has expanded to Tuscany with the acquisition, in early 2022, of a property in the Chianti Classico DOCG area. The Pian del Gallo estate includes 5.5 hectares of organically farmed vineyards and olive trees, as well as hospitality facilities.

A fruitful quest

The acquisition was not a sudden or impulsive decision, but rather the culmination of a long search for a Tuscan property to enrich the Tinazzi portfolio. Gian Andrea Tinazzi, the group’s president and father of next generation Giorgio and Francesca, spent years exploring the region to find an estate that could offer privacy, a sense of wonder and, above all, excellent terroirs.

Eventually, in late 2021, Gian Andrea visited Pian del Gallo, in Greve, a small organic estate with vines for the production of Chianti Classico DOCG and Toscana IGT wines. He was immediately seduced by the property’s character and potential – Pian del Gallo had all the requirements to become one of Tinazzi’s flagship names.

Indeed, all of Pian del Gallo agricultural production (wine and olive oil) has been organically certified for more than 20 years, a particularly important aspect within the framework of the ongoing Tinazzi R-Evolution project, which establishes that all of Tinazzi’s vineyards are managed under organic principles. In April 2022 the company’s first Sustainability Report was published, outlining and measuring all of the company’s R-Evolution sustainability initiatives.

Francesca, Gian Andrea and Giorgio Tinazzi

The perfect terroir

Greve in Chianti, one of the eight communes that form the Chianti Classico DOC, has predominantly sandy soils known to produce wines of great freshness, finesse and elegance. This is where Pian del Gallo is located, yielding wines with a harmonious, precise palate, fine tannins and a complex aromatic profile full of red or black fruits depending on the richness of the vintage, and floral nuances.

The Pian del Gallo vineyards are located at an altitude of 250 metres with a south and southwest exposition. They are surrounded by dense woods, a very common feature across the Chianti area which might in fact have given the region its name. Some historians suggest that ‘Chianti’ derived from the latin ‘clangor’, or clamour, alluding to the sounds heard within the region’s many forests during the hunting season. Other theories suggest that ‘Chianti’ is a derivation of the etruscan word for water, ‘clante’ – not only is the area rich in water sources but this was also a common etruscan family name. Both hypotheses, however, allude to the fertility and prosperity of the Chianti landscape, where optimal climatic conditions and rich vegetation provided an ideal settling environment as far back as the second millennium BC.

At Pian del Gallo the Tinazzi family grows Sangiovese and Merlot grapes which, beginning with the 2022 harvest, will yield three wines: a Chianti Classico DOCG, a Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva and a Merlot Toscana IGT. The brand new releases will be presented in the Spring of 2023 at the wine world’s two most important industry events, Prowein and Vinitaly.

Passion for hospitality

Until the first Pian del Gallo wines are released, the Tinazzis are working on the restoration of the old 18th century farmhouse and adjoining barn. Located just a few hundred metres from the village of Greve and a mere 45 km from Florence, the estate is ideally located and a place of great touristic interest. Once the renovation works are complete in 2023, Pian del Gallo will have a shop, a small winery and flats to receive guests.

Hospitality has become a new and intense passion of the Tinazzis. In the last few years the group has invested in restructuring many of its Veneto and Puglia estates – namely Poderi Campopian (Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Verona), Cascina Montelupo (Custoza, Verona), Tenuta Valleselle (Bardolino, Verona) and Feudo Croce (Carosino, Taranto) – equipping them to receive guests. At each location the family organises tours, tastings and lively cooking classes, which have become an absolute success both as a fun activity for wine lovers and as team-building for corporate groups.

Pian del Gallo therefore becomes another pearl in this already beaming necklace. ‘This is a dream come true’ says Francesca Tinazzi, CEO of the family’s company. ‘Myself and my family have fallen in love with Pian del Gallo and wish to take care of it with the attention and respect it deserves, and that have always guided our work.’ Her father, Gian Andrea, who immediately realised the potential of the Chianti estate, adds: ‘It’s a great satisfaction and privilege to now count among our properties a Tuscan estate, from the cradle of Italian winemaking and culture, and one of Italy’s most renowned appellations, Chianti Classico DOCG.’