To write about the Corsini family gives me the most intense pleasure imaginable. I say this because I regard myself as fortunate enough to be able to claim a personal friendship with Duccio Corsini, son of Filippo Corsini and heir eventually to the title of 10th Prince of Sismano from his father, the present 9th Prince.

 

In Duccio’s own words “the Corsini family is among the oldest and most noble families of Tuscany”.

Even today they still own a number of great Tuscan estates. This article is about one such estate – LE CORTI – situated in the Chianti Classico area, in San Casciano, Val di Pesa, some 10 kilometres south of Florence. It is indescribably beautiful, sitting astride the local hills with magnificent views over the vineyards and olive groves that form the undulating Tuscan countryside.

The gardens are splendiferous and more can be read about them below, as well as the fascinating annual September garden fair that Duccio holds there.In the spring, Duccio holds a wine weekend at Le Corti – “Alla Corte del Vino” – where the cream of Tuscan producers and Tuscan nobility meet to show their wines and enjoy each other’s company.

 

 

FAMILY PROPERTIES

In the past, but not really so long ago, Duccio’s grandfather was the owner of no less than 17 properties and was in fact the largest landowner in the whole of Italy. Today, in addition to “Le Corti”, in San Casciano, the family still own the magnificent Tenuta Marsiliana, in the Maremma, in Southern Tuscany, about which more later. They also own two palaces in Florence.

 

The first is the Palazzo Corsini Lungarno (on the river Arno), built by Bartolomeo (1683-1752), with its world renowned art collection, arguably the finest art collection in private hands today. The second is the Palazzo Corsini Sul Prato, which is the home of Principe Don Filippo Corsini and his wife, née Nobile Giorgiana Avogadro di Valdengo and Collobiano – Duccio’s father and mother.

 

This second palace has the most beautiful and exotic formal gardens, as Duccio’s mother is a renowned horticulturist and holds garden shows there. The Lungarno palace belongs to Duccio’s aunts, but the art collection to his father and his sisters. Galleria Corsini can be visited by appointment.

 

HISTORY OF THE CORSINI FAMILY

The Corsini family history, as recounted by themselves, dates back to the beginning of the 13th century.

 

Certainly it goes back further still, but records become hard to trace and unreliable.

 

This prodigious family arrived in Florence, at the end of the 1100s, from the town of Poggibonsi (today unfortunately rather an ugly little town between Florence and Siena).

 

They already reached prominence as early as the 12th century, when they opened one of the very first Florentine banks in London. They prospered.

 

Like other successful families, in wealthy 14th and 15th century Florence, being merchants and bankers was the road to fame and fortune. We know that, as was customary in the early fourteenth century, the head of the family, Tommaso di Duccio (?-1366), launched his sons and those of his brother Niccolò, into political and ecclesiastical careers and business.

They were successful in all three sectors. Filippo di Tommaso distinguished himself in politics, Andrea di Niccolò, who died in 1373, became bishop of Fiesole and was made a saint in 1624 by Pope Urban VIII; Pietro di Tommaso became a cardinal and was close to Pope Urban V during his exile in Avignon and helped organise the return of the Papal See to Rome.

 

The Corsini Family’s first acquisitions in the village of San Casciano in Val di Pesa date from 1427 and consisted of three farm buildings: the worker’s house (hut), various outhouses and land suitable for planting vineyards and olive trees.

Two of the buildings also had an oil-mill.In the same year, Florence land-registry also recorded the purchase of half of «Palazzo delle Corti» together with the surrounding lands in the community of San Piero di Sotto (near San Casciano).

 

Further land and farms were acquired in later centuries and by the latter half of the nineteenth century the family owned 32 farm-estates.

But their road to financial and political success during the first two centuries, up to 1450, was also fraught with disasters and bankruptcies.

 

The most famous of these was the failure of the Florentine banking system following the political and military problems of Edward II, King of England, who failed to honour his commitments. Following this event, Matteo di Niccolò (1322-1402), while still a young man, went to England to stay with his cousins, the Stracciabende, who in those years were Maestri di Moneta, at the court of the King of England.

 

During the eighteen years he spent in England, Matteo built up a great fortune, trading in wool, silk and herrings. On his return to Florence he acquired much land, although he still continued trading, and this was to lay the foundations of the Corsini family’s wealth up to the middle of the 1700s. He was made Count Palatine by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles IV.

During the war of the eight saints he was hard hit when his property was confiscated and he was obliged to honour the debts accumulated by his grandson (1380). Relations with the Medici family had their ups and downs. Harmony reigned between them in the years of the Medici princedom, but during the Republic, so-called even though power was already in the hands of the family of Cosimo the Elder, the Corsini showed their reluctance to surrender to the Medici’s intrusiveness.

On 4 November 1494, Luca Corsini decided of his own accord to ring the bells to warn the people that the time had come to move against the weak Piero Medici, son of Lorenzo il Magnifico.

 

The fact that Corsini rang the church bells of Florence ahead of Pier Capponi was a sure sign of their dislike for each other.During the times of Cosimo the Elder, their relations improved to such an extent that a Corsini was called upon to represent the Banco Mediceo in Rome.

 

The Corsini remained on permanent good terms with the Medici after the siege of Florence, in 1530, with the establishment of the Medici princedom which continued until the latter half of the eighteenth century.

(Please see article on Coltibuono for full details about the Medici Family).

 

In the early seventeenth century, the Corsini acquired vast amounts of landed property and works of art throughout Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Their great wealth was due above all to the brothers, Filippo (1538-1601) and Bartolomeo (1545-1613) di Bernardo who, in 1567, set up an important firm of merchants in London which was linked to Florence by a fast postal service.

Besides being merchants and bankers, the Corsini brothers, 250 years ahead of Tommaso, successfully insured the merchant ships of the first Greek shipping companies. Most of the enormous fortunes made from their trading were invested in property in Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany and left in trusts (the precursor of the present-day Trusts still today used in the Anglo-Saxon world).
The Corsini bought farm-estates and had villas and palaces built and restored in Pisa, Florence, Viterbo and Rome.It is to three later members of the family, Filippo di Lorenzo, his son Bartolomeo and his grandson, that we owe the building of their two Florentine palaces: one in Lungarno Corsini and the other in Via del Prato, still today owned by the family. In 1621 they acquired the Casino degli Acciaioli and much of the surrounding land.

The Palace was built on a design by Buontalenti, around 1575, and completed by Gherardo Silvani, who also built the loggia and the Italian garden decorated with marble statuary by B. Bozzolini. In 1675, Filippo (1647-1706) commissioned Foggini to build a chapel in honour of St. Andrea Corsini in the Church of the Carmine in Florence. In 1690 the architects Silvani and Ferri began construction of the Palazzo in Lungarno Corsini, completed in 1698.

The Galleria Gentilizia, set up in the apartment overlooking the river on the first floor of the Palazzo, housed many important paintings acquired or commissioned by the Corsini. The Galleria Corsini still today belongs to the family and can be visited by appointment, as mentioned above.

 

 

In 1697, before completion of the Palazzo, work began on transforming and decorating Villa di Castello, on the outskirts of Florence. In 1730 Cardinal Lorenzo (1652-1740) was made Pope and took the name of Clement XII, at the end of a conclave that lasted four months.

 

Born in Florence, in 1652, he was 78 years old at the time of his election. While certainly not a young Pope, he was well versed in Church administration, having been the treasurer of a previous pope, Alexander VIII. He was an expert in financial affairs and this was important at a time when the papal coffers were almost empty.

A learned man and a great patron of the arts, he founded the Capitolini museums and commissioned important monumental works in Rome, including the Trevi Fountain and the façade of San Giovanni in Laterano (where he had a family chapel built dedicated to St. Andrea), the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Consulta Palace and the ports of Anzio, Ravenna and Ancona.

I have to interject here that my own personal ancestor, Niccolò Salvi, was the architect and water engineer of the above-mentioned Trevi fountain, known the world over today for “Three coins in a fountain”.

 

The Corsini family was almost certainly ennobled by the Grand Duke of Tuscany as the Florentine Republic did not distribute titles. On the other hand my own family title was attributed by the Pope – perhaps Duccio’s ancestor !

Pope Clement XII’s nephew, Neri (1685-1770), after being created cardinal, acquired Palazzo alla Lungara from the Riario family, in 1736, extended by Fuga.

 

In it he arranged a collection of prints and drawings, a well-stocked library (the Biblioteca Corsiniana), and an impressive collection of paintings. In 1883, Palazzo Corsini alla Lungara became part of the heritage of the Italian Kingdom, through Tommaso Corsini (1835-1919), who founded the Accademia dei Lincei in the Palace, donating the collection of prints and drawings (now known as the Corsini Collection) and the Biblioteca Corsiniana.

The first prince of Sismano was Bartolomeo (1683-1752), son of Filippo who had Palazzo Corsini built on the banks of the river Arno in Florence; the favourite nephew of Clement XII, he was commander of the Roman Cavalry, President of the Cabinet of King Charles III in Naples (then Viceroy of Sicily) and Grandee of Spain.

Most of the members of the Corsini family, who during the eighteenth century were more Roman than Florentine, found their way back to Florence in later centuries.The second prince of Sismano was Filippo (1706-1767). Neri, (1771-1845), son of Bartolomeo (third prince of Sismano 1729-92), held important offices throughout the Napoleonic period and after the Bourbon restoration (1815). Determined to maintain Tuscany’s independence, he succeeded in obtaining a great deal for Tuscany from both regimes.

Minister of the Interior and envoy at the Congress of Vienna, he obtained, among other things, the restitution of many works of art confiscated during the French occupation of Tuscany; in the last year of his life he was prime minister and foreign minister. His brother, Tommaso (fourth prince of Sismano 1767-1856), spent most of his life in Rome, with the exception of diplomatic missions in Paris and later in Vienna during the Napoleonic period.

He returned to Rome after the restoration and was appointed senator several times; after the outbreaks of 1848-49 he endeavoured to form a moderate government, but failed by refusing to bow to the Republic of Rome and remained in Florence until Pius IX (1847-78) returned to the city.

Andrea (1804-1868) was the fifth prince of Sismano and was foreign minister of the Grand Duchy. His nephew Tommaso (sixth Prince of Sismano), like his uncle, was also foreign minister of the grand duchy.

 

Tommaso Corsini (1835-1919), directed the Corsini family and its patrimony towards Italy ruled by the House of Savoy; he donated important works of art and sold Palazzo Corsini in Rome to the State.

Although he was an important political figure (deputy of the Kingdom from 1865 to 1882, later a life senator and finally Mayor of Florence), he did not neglect his own patrimony: he founded the Fondiaria Assicurazioni insurance company, presided the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze bank, was president of the Italian Southern Railway Company and played an important role in the Electricity companies of central Italy.

 

A Corsini was also the first Ambassador to London of the United Kingdom of Italy. We could probably say that, in the 19th century, the Corsini family were the First Family in Tuscany after the Grand Duke, at least in terms of economic influence and historic heritage.

Filippo (1873-1926) was the seventh prince of Sismano, followed by another Tommaso (1903-1980) as eighth prince. These two princes did not live at Le Corti. In fact, Duccio was the first one to do so after the sixth prince. From then on the Corsini family spent only short holidays in the splendid Renaissance Villa on Le Corti Estate, and never stayed for long periods.

On the death of the above Tommaso Corsini (1835-1919,) the Villa remained empty and was closed up, until 1992, when Duccio Corsini, son of Prince Filippo, and his wife, Clotilde Trentinaglia de Daverio, decided to make it their permanent home.

They opened up and refurbished the rooms and apartments and at the same time re-arranged the garden, by reintroducing its original Renaissance layout. Only by restoring economic activity could Villa Le Corti return to its ancient splendour.

 

In 1992 the Estate and its traditional productions were also affected by the winds of change. It was decided to abandon the traditional method of managing farm produce, whereby wine, oil and cereals were sold as «raw materials» to those who processed and sold them.

The idea, which was the driving force behind the estate’s modernisation, was to cater direct for the end consumers, by providing them with oil, wine and country life.

 

Duccio Corsini’s encounter in July 1992 with Wine maker, Carlo Ferrini, wrote the first chapter of this story with the beginning of wine growing and production; it has since become the core activity of Le Corti Estate and is held in high regard both in Italy and abroad.

The Estate’s traditional production of extra virgin olive oil has remained unchanged, although the technology used to extract and preserve the oil has been improved. Duccio and Clotilde, who have a son and a daughter - Filippo and Elena Clarice - are proud of their relationship with end consumers and every year open the doors of their splendid Villa to host «Alla Corte del Vino». The wine fair, now at its sixth edition, has presented the finest Tuscan wines annually since 1997.
Duccio Corsini also promotes, with Oliva di Collobiano, Giardini in Fiera an interesting international exhibition of gardens and landscapes, which, since 1994, has been held in the third week of September at Villa Le Corti.But archaeology was Tommaso’s real passion.

He undertook many excavations, the most important of which was at Marsiliana, where he discovered many Etruscan treasures which he donated to Florence Archaeological Museum. He married Anna Barberini Colonna who together with her sister, the wife of Pier Francesco Corsini, were the last descendants of that branch of the Barberini family.
He had eight children; one son, Prince Andrea (seventh Prince of Sismano (1866-1952), did not marry while the other, Don Filippo Marquis of Laiatico, became mayor of Florence.

 

Filippo’s son, Prince Tommaso (eighth Prince of Sismano 1903-1980), had the difficult task of handing down Corsini tradition to a new world which produced two dramatic events for Italy; Fascist dictatorship and the second World War. Tommaso, too, was involved in Italian political life and contributed as a deputy of the Constituent Assembly to drawing up the Constitution, which still today regulates our republican life.

He was a great expert on agriculture and livestock and contributed widely to modernising the sector in Tuscany and Umbria. His wife, Donna Elena was successful in saving the Galleria Corsini and many other art treasures from bombing and the ravages of war.

Their son, Filippo (1937), the ninth and present Prince, is married to Giorgiana Avogadro di Valdengo e Collobiano. As I write, he is alive and well and still the owner of the “Le Corti” estate.

Wealth brings responsibilities on its shoulders and the Corsini family have always been acutely aware of those responsibilities. Their wealth gave rise to great works of art commissioned from skilled artists and created public and private buildings that gave the city a new countenance.
The Corsini placed their hopes in the future; after all, they lived in Florence, a city that firmly believed in tomorrow, and in tomorrow lay the foundation for their actions. It was indeed true that the Corsini believed in the future, but perhaps in those very early days not even they imagined rising to such heights of wealth and glory. The success they obtained in the political life of Florence, the city that had welcomed them in its midst, went hand in hand with their achievements in Rome, the seat of the Church, where they were protagonists on more than one occasion.


WHO’S WHO ?
Principe Don Filippo Corsini (1937...)

 

Ninth principe (prince) of Sismano, Duca (duke) di Casigliano, Duca di Civitella, Marchese (marquis) di Lajatico, Marchese di Orciatico, Marchese di Tresana, Marchese di Giovangallo, Marchese di Castagnatolo, Conte (count) Palatino, Nobile Romano Coscritto, Patrizio Fiorentino, Patrizio Veneto, Patrizio Genovese, Patrizio di Ferrara. Married to Nobile Giorgiana Avogadro di Valdengo e Collobiano. He has one son and three daughters.

These are Duccio (1964), Duke of Casigliano, married to Clotilde Trentinaglia de Daverio, with two children, Filippo and Elena Clarice; Elena Sabina (1966), married to Brando Quilici, with a son, Corso; Nencia (1969), married to Benedetto Bolza, with 4 daughters, Giorgiana, Nerina, Vita, Olimpia; Elizabetta Fiona (1969) with five children, Leone, Neri and Zara Boatto; Fiamma, Fabiola San Giuliano.

I repeat that Principe Don Filippo is the owner of both Le Corti and Tenuta Marsiliana as well as the famous art collection in the Galleria, mentioned above, and other properties.

He was never personally involved in the farming on the estates.

 

In his younger days the Mezzadria system was still functioning. Also the wine of the estate’s production that was not drunk by the family or the farmers, was sold in bulk or directly from the farm shop. There was no winemaker and no commercial network.
When Don Filippo handed over the management to his son, Duccio wanted the property to become profitable, which it had not been for very many years. Today it is an active, respected and profitable Estate, with a value some twelve times what it was worth when he arrived (1992), (see below).

Don Duccio Corsini - Duccio Corsini, duke of Casigliano, only son of Filippo Corsini, heir to the title of 10th prince of Sismano, was born on 27th June 1964. After a classical Italian schooling, he read history at University and completed business management training.

He married Clotilde Trentinaglia de Daverio, and, as we already saw under his fathers history, today they have two children, Filippo (14/3/1995) and Elena Clarice (27/8/1997).

Duccio is truly a hands-on manager and winemaker, having learned all that he knows ( a great deal! ) from working on his properties and from working with, and listening to, Carlo Ferrini, his consultant oenologist.

He never took time out to achieve oenological or agronomic qualifications. He wears his titles and his responsibilities lightly and is truly passionate about his wines and their ultimate greatness.

The owner of TASTED, Anthony Chicheportiche, who was with me during my visit, described him as “cool”, which I take to be a very considerable compliment!

Donna Elena Sabina Corsini (1966...) - Sabina, Duccio’s sister, looks after the “agriturismo” and the hospitality. There are two other sisters (see above), who are not involved in the business.

Carlo Ferrini - As mentioned above, Carlo is Duccio’s consultant oenologist and has been from the very beginning. Indeed it was he who inspired Duccio in the first place and made him aware of the potential quality of his soil and his slopes and their exposition. He has been with Duccio since 1992.
Today he is one of Italy’s most famous consultants and known far and wide. He looks after quite a number of other estates, but remains faithful and devoted to Duccio, Le Corti and Marsiliana. In February I had the pleasure of discussing things with him when he announced the Five Star 2006 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino and described it to us with technical details. He is of immense value to the Corsini family.

Giuseppe Lucido - Giuseppe has been the Estate Manager here at Le Corti for two vintages now, having started, on 1st September 2005.

Cesare Moncini - Cesare is the Estate Manager of Marsiliana. Tuscany is large and long and Marsiliana is a long drive from Le Corti.
Duccio cannot be there as often as he would like and he also has an office in Florence to attend to.

Le Corti - This farm Estate, and its wine, is what this article is all about, even if we spend a great deal of time discussing the Corsini family and its history. The beautiful villa sits high up on the Tuscan slopes, surrounded by its farmlands.

These comprise 256 hectares, dedicated principally to Chianti Classico and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.Having, over the years, got itself into something of a run down condition, it was Duccio Corsini, son of Filippo Corsini, who decided to revitalise, repair, modernise and rebuild.

Today the villa is restored to its former glory and about one fifth of the 256 hectares, 49,5 to be precise, are dedicated to vines. The majority of these were replanted after 1994, starting in 1995, after Duccio took over the running of the estate.The villa is certainly one of Tuscany’s finest examples of a Renaissance residence, although the very first 15th century Florentine land registry records that the Corsini family has owned the property since 1427. At that time it was a simple fortified tower.

This was extended and converted into the present-day building in the early 17th century.

 

Beautiful frescoes by Bernardino Porcetti, from the same period, decorate the family chapel.The building of today is a rectangular shaped villa, dominated by two towers.It is surrounded by a classical Italian garden and an extensive park. These two elements are divided by a line of centuries-old cypress trees.It also boasts 13,000 olive trees and produces fine Extra virgin olive oil, which enjoys very considerable fame throughout Tuscany and beyond.

 

Regretfully, the appalling 1985 frost destroyed 96% of these. Following this, Duccio replanted them in one area of the estate rather than continuing to have them spread throughout. The principal variety here is Frantoio, followed by Moraiolo, Leccino and Pendolino. The Olive Jar store, with its old terracotta jars, is thought to be both the oldest and the largest in the whole of Tuscany.

Marsiliana - I deeply regret that there is not space enough in this article to write about the palaces, the art collections and the other priceless treasures of the Corsini family. However, and especially since it is a fine wine producing property, I cannot omit a few words about the great property of Tenuta Marsiliana. I have situated it above, lying in the previously malaria infested Maremma. Today the Maremma is rapidly becoming the home of some of Italy’s greatest wines.

Marsiliana is no exception. It has been in the family, since 1759, but it became absolutely theirs when they bought it, in 1886, from the newly constituted State of Italy. Originally a huge estate of 8,000 hectares, it was reduced to just under 3,000 by state expropriation, in 1954.

Fully 95% of the total estate is woodland and just 18 hectares of land, on the very finest soil, has been planted with vines, by Duccio, since 1995, when he took over from his father the management and development of the estate.

The vineyard is planted with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% of other local and experimental grape varieties. Naturally this makes IGT wines.The first wine to be put on the market was LA MARSILIANA 2000, LA PARTENZA.Different and ancient family photographs, depicting the history of the place and its owners, adorn the labels each year.

These are today collectible items.It is a pleasure to be able to say that Marsiliana is making great wine and scored top marks in the January tastings, held by TASTED’s team of expert sommeliers, under the aegis of San Pellegrino, in Milan. So also did “Le Corti”. This is excellent for the reputation of both estates.


SOIL
The soil is of lacunal and coastal origin, laid down by the original East-West flowing river. An accumulation of multi-dimensional, round, river stones on the slopes and some clay and sand on low-lying land.

The river, which covered the countryside here, retreated some 4 million years ago, leaving the above-mentioned geological strata. One must not forget that the sea is only 40 miles away from here as the crow flies. In spite of that, the climate is only mildly under Mediterranean influence.

The soil here is rich in organic matter and in micro-elements and has good fertility. Drainage has been carefully managed, on the slopes and the lower ground, and is given great importance. This soil, together with its excellent water retention, its exposition, its splendid slopes and the local microclimate, give well structured wines, which lean towards roundness, completeness and elegance.

They have excellent staying power and develop smoothly over a considerable time. Naturally the finest vines are put on the best slopes, and on the finest soil, in order that they should express themselves to the full.


VINEYARDS
As mentioned above, today there are 49,5 hectares of vines at Le Corti. Also, as we have already seen, these were very largely replanted after Duccio took over the management of the Estate, in 1992, and also later when he decided to revitalise it.

 

He increased the density of plantation and increased the number of vines per hectare to 6,000 from the old and traditional 3,000.

Today the vineyards are planted with 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of old Canaiolo. Duccio has also put in just one hectare of Colorino.

 

The Cabernet Sauvignon was put in on the suggestion of Carlo Ferrini, his consultant oenologist described above. Duccio personally feels that it makes his Chianti a little too international and therefore he does not always put its production into his blend.

There are, in addition to the above, 4 hectares of vines in Barberino, which are not Chianti Classico.The vines are orientated from South-East to South-West and are gratifyingly uniform.

 

The height above sea level ranges from 220-330 metres. A tiny amount of white wine is made with Malvasia and Trebbiano on south-facing slopes. Pruning is on the single cordon system (spurred cordon or cordone speronato).

Duccio leaves two bunches of grapes per arm, which amounts to some 5-6 bunches per vine. In Italy yields are measured in kilos of grapes per vine and here the Sangiovese yields approximately 1.5 kilos, the Merlot 1.0 and the Cabernet Sauvignon just 0.8 kilos per vine.

 

The vines are ramified some 60 cms above ground level. This enables them to draw maximum benefit from the heat of the soil and is quite different to the original and ancient pruning and training methods practised here and throughout Chianti.
Duccio does not grass between rows as he has no humidity or vigour control problems and feels also that grassing encourages shallower roots when he wants deep ones.He respects and admires biodynamic culture. He says “Practice it by all means if you can properly understand and manage it.

 

Many practice it but cannot do that. It is for sure a reasonably inexpensive way of adding capital value to the estate. My land is my capital. If it grows in fertility then it grows in value. I will do NOTHING that will impoverish my land.

My unshakeable belief is that you should always put in more than you take out. You can then hand on a more valuable asset to your heirs. To me, pragmatic biodynamic viticulture does not mean being blind or stupid and should above all never be used to boost one’s ego – especially if, having been here for 700 years, one wants to be here for another 700!”

These are wonderfully wise words and show, more clearly than I ever could, why families like the Corsini family endure and flourish. He continues “Above all my wines must reflect my terroir, indeed they must BE my terroir. Vineyards are highly sophisticated things and cannot survive without man’s care.

Sometimes he may have to give them chemicals if they truly need them, but these should be minimal, respectful and homeopathic. The terroir must be respected at all costs.

Incidentally, this approach also saves money. While I do not belong to biodynamic charters, none the less I deeply respect the ecosystem. I have cut down my treatments from 15 to 6 over the last few years and also all my treatments are 100% biodegradable”.
All the usual practices are done in the vineyards – ploughing, trimming, bud thinning, green pruning, deleafing etc.

 

All done as and when Duccio and Carlo Ferrini deem them opportune. The old MEZZADRIA system was abolished before Duccio took over management of the estates. In the last year of its existence, 42% of the crop went to the owner and 58% to the family who farmed the land.
The oldest vineyards left at le Corti today were planted in 1988, but most were planted since 1992 (Carlo Ferrini’s arrival). Thus today 8 hectares are still planted at the old density of 3,200 vines per hectare.

When Duccio planted, in 1995 and 1996, he planted at 5,200. A second wave was planted in 1999 and a third in 2001. Finally a fourth wave of plantation was carried out, in 2003, at a density of 5,600.

Not to leave it out of the picture, Marsiliana today has 20 hectares of vines on the 2,850 hectare property, planted at a density of 5,600 vines per hectare. 9 hectares are Cabernet Sauvignon, 9 are Merlot and two hectares are what Duccio frivolously describes as “fritto misto” or “mixed fry”!

 

 

 

As one would expect, all grapes are hand picked. Duccio has tested machine picking, and indeed has obtained good results, but has decided not to change for the present.In the vineyards there is a cart that goes along between the rows.

The pickers put their grapes into this and it then gets tipped into 300 kilo plastic bins, with holes in the bottom to allow any juice to drain off. He uses these same bins for his olives. A tractor then brings the bins to the cellars.

Since he has excellent pickers as well as meticulous control over their work, he does not do any more sorting on arrival. In fact, Duccio gives his pickers a couple of days of intensive training beforehand and this I have never come across before. For his best wines, Don Tommaso for example, only his regular staff do the picking.

For all the rest he employs two teams of 8 persons each.The grapes are destalked and go straight into open-topped stainless steel vats. Fermentation temperature is allowed to go up to 29°C and he usually does a two day holding pre-fermentation maceration at about 20°C, having partially cooled the incoming grapes.

After 3 years of research, he has selected 3 active yeasts from the property – two for Sangiovese and one for Merlot. These are prepared for him in a laboratory in Denmark – Klaus Phral. They have their own personality, he feels. “My yeasts ARE my terroir”.

Having these yeasts selected and prepared was a very expensive exercise, but Duccio feels that it was well worth every cent.Fermentation, with these yeasts, takes approximately 7-8 days and a post-fermentation period of some 7 days is usually allowed.
The running-off follows and pressing in horizontal presses. The new wine then goes back into stainless steel or concrete vats, where it is warmed to 25°C-26°C for the malo-lactic fermentation. Any excess wine at running-off time is sold in the estate shop to neighbours and visitors at a give-away price!Micro-oxygenation is done if both Carlo and Duccio feel that it is advisable.

 

After the malo-lactic fermentation, his top wine, Don Tommaso, goes into French oak barrels from various coopers and with various toastings. Many people here, in Chianti, regard the bitter cherry fruit character of the Sangiovese as one of its finer characteristics.
Duccio, however, likes to soften this with some of his Merlot.

 

Don Tommaso spends some 15-16 months in barrel, two-thirds of them new and one-third of them just one year old. The LE CORTI blend spends about 12 months in older barrels.

As I write this, at the end of February 2007, the 2005 vintage has just been bottled.Racking is done only as deemed necessary and not systematically – when reduction is observed on tasting for example. Fining is not done at all. Duccio does not use cold stabilisation either. Filtration is done before bottling and, as for all other operations, will be as tight as the wine requires but never tight enough to strip.

PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy of Corsini wine making is summed up in a superbly polished nutshell by Duccio’s father, Filippo. “My son Duccio is striving not only to make the finest wine possible from the natural sources available to him, but also to capture in our wine the unique character of our region, which continues to flourish unspoilt.

Through our wines we hope to share with others our enjoyment of this wonderful land”.


HOSPITALITY
Both LE CORTI and MARSILIANA have developed what the Italians call “Agriturismo”. Beautiful guesthouses and cottages, complete with gardens, swimming pools, scenery, tranquillity and beauty are available for rent on both estates.

All hospitality is taken care of by Sabina, Duccio’s sister. Extensive information about all this can be found on the Corsini website.


PRODUCTION

DON TOMMASO. 15,000 bottles per annum approximately
LE CORTI. 120,000 bottles per annum approximately


TASTING NOTES
2004 LE CORTI, CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG.
This was bottled in July 2006. It is 95% Sangiovese
COLOUR : deep, full colour, still purple edged and youthfully intense and dark.
NOSE : strong, intense nose redolent of black rather than red fruits. Fresh and vital with youth, but admirably restrained.
PALATE : An explosion of black rather than red fruit in the mouth. Cassis. Deep and rich. A powerful wine with voluminous, granular tannins, but the tannins are integrating perfectly and the wine is in excellent balance, with harmony between the fruit and the alcohol. Long in the mouth, increasing in power and finishing strongly. Good freshness. Generous wine. Will develop and keep

2004 DON TOMMASO, CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG.
Bottled July 2006. 85% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot
COLOUR : Velvety, deep red-garnet with purple edge.
NOSE : The nose is still a little closed due to youth, but is intense and deep with strong ripe black fruits.
PALATE : This wine has a huge potential. Sangiovese predominates, softened by Merlot. It has a fine austerity at present, which will soften into rich silkiness with maturity. Vigorous and spicy, delicately marked by rapidly integrating oak, all the elements are under control. Long in the mouth. Fresh, clean acidity. A big and dense Chianti, this is a wine to lay down.

2003 MARSILIANA, IGT.
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Others
COLOUR : Red-garnet-purple, with a ruby edge. Vivid and intense.
NOSE : This is big stuff. Powerful wine. The Cabernet predominates and shows very clearly. Duccio says he intended it to have more Merlot, but it tasted so fine this way! Deeply fruited nose with admirable freshness.
PALATE : The immediate flavour in the mouth is of rich, ripe and spicy red and black fruits. It has a certain fine austerity, showing its Cabernet character.
It is a dense and richly generous wine, needing time to soften and develop the potential. Very long in the mouth and with a lingering aftertaste. Excellent grip on the finish. Splendid wine!

2005 BIRILLO BIANCO, IGT.
80% Vermentino, 20% Sauvignon.
I had not intended to put a white wine in the tasting notes, but I was seduced by this one and decided to include it!
COLOUR : Light, bright, pale, pale yellow and brilliant. Attractive.
NOSE : Fresh, crisp, mineral and at the same time floral and ripe. Delicious, fresh acidity.
PALATE : This is what seduced me! Juicy and generous. Quite rich and fat, but balanced by a clean, slightly chalky minerality. Full bodied.
It is tight and vibrant. It may not have great finesse, but it has great charm and drinkability. Drink while still full of fruit and fragrance. A delightful surprise!

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