Why it matters
The producer
Tenuta di Gracciano della Seta sits on the Gracciano hills above the medieval town of Montepulciano in southern Tuscany, and the estate has occupied this address since the early nineteenth century. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG is the appellation here: a Sangiovese-led red that the local growers call Prugnolo Gentile, and a DOCG that demands at least 70 per cent of the grape in any wine carrying the name. Gracciano della Seta puts it at 90 per cent or above in its top wine.
The Svetoni family held the property from the early 1800s. It passed by inheritance to Giorgio della Seta, who renewed the vineyards and in 2013 built a new stainless-steel vinification hall beside the nineteenth-century ageing cellar rather than replacing it. Giorgio's three children, Marco, Vannozza and Galdina della Seta Ferrari Corbelli Greco, are the present owners. Vannozza has managed the estate since 2012. Her husband, Aldo Paravicini Crespi, has worked in biodynamic agriculture for more than thirty years, and organic conversion at the estate began in 2015.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Montepulciano is a hilltop town in the province of Siena, and its DOCG zone takes in the sloping land around the town at elevations that temper the heat of the Tuscan interior. The Gracciano hills form one of the named sub-zones within that territory, and the estate identifies them as a historically recognised cru. Vino Nobile as a category is Sangiovese grown here under the alias Prugnolo Gentile: the grape choice, the minimum blend percentage and the two-year ageing requirement (three for Riserva) are all written into DOCG law, and every bottle carrying the name carries the weight of those rules.
The Podere Rovisci parcel has a particularly pronounced clay component. Clay retains water and warmth differently than sandy or limestone soils, producing grapes with weight and tannin suitable for extended ageing. The estate routes Rovisci fruit exclusively to the Riserva, where that material meets a 24-month wood programme.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Harvest is by hand across all 20 hectares, with selection taking place at the vine rather than on a sorting table. Bunches are assessed and culled in the vineyard, which means only the selected fruit reaches the cellar.
Fermentation for the Riserva happens in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, and maceration runs for 20 to 25 days, extracting colour, tannin and fruit concentration from the skins. After fermentation, the wine spends 12 months in five-hectolitre French Allier tonneaux, toasted to a medium level, before moving to large Slavonian-oak casks of 25 to 50 hectolitres for a further 12 months. The sequence matters: the smaller French vessels integrate tannin and add a modest degree of micro-oxygenation early in the ageing cycle; the large Slavonian casks, with their lower wood-to-wine ratio and neutral character, allow the wine to develop without adding new oak flavour. Total wood time is 24 months before bottling.
Wines to know
The range in view
Four wines cover the range. The Rosato di Toscana IGT sits outside the DOC and DOCG tier and carries an IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) designation, signalling a lighter style for earlier drinking. The Rosso di Montepulciano DOC is the entry-level red within the Montepulciano zone, made from younger or lighter parcels and aged for a shorter time than the Nobile. Both act as the approachable end of the range.
The Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG is the estate's main Sangiovese-led red and the wine that carries the appellation's full legal requirements. It is Prugnolo Gentile at the minimum DOCG percentage, aged in wood, and released with dark cherry and earth in the flavour register.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG. It is Prugnolo Gentile from the Podere Rovisci parcel, fermented in steel and aged for two years across French tonneaux and Slavonian-oak casks. The wine is full-bodied, with firm tannin, a substantial mid-palate, and an acid line that extends the finish. Dark cherry and dried plum lead the nose; earth and cedar follow after the wine has been open for thirty minutes. There is no new-oak sweetness and no attempt to soften the grape's natural grip.