The Beginning
Poliziano began in 1961 when Dino Carletti, moved by a romantic vision for his native land and its centuries of wine tradition, acquired the first parcel of 22 hectares around the area of Montepulciano. The name of the winery is a tribute to this indeed. In Italian, in fact, a native of Montepulciano is called a ‘Poliziano’, of which probably the most well-known in history is the humanist and poet Angelo Ambrogini (1454-1494), nicknamed “Poliziano”, represented in the logo.
Professionalism
Federico Carletti, son of Dino, after completing his studies in agriculture, took over the management of Poliziano in the late 70s. He immediately made his mark and reached a philosophical turning point by studying and working exclusively with proprietary grapes (“Estate Winery”). The estate since his arrival has grown over the years until reaching 170 hectares of vineyards. Focused on quality viticulture, innovative yet respectful of the environment and tradition, it was soon possible for Federico to achieve a Vino Nobile of great body and great quality.
Quality
Federico in pursuing quality and excellence in his wines has continually improved techniques both in the vineyards and in the cellar. The local variety par excellence, Sangiovese, which in the territory of Montepulciano is known as “Prugnolo Gentile”, was studied and tested in order to find its best expression. Meanwhile, in the 1990s, international varieties were also planted, like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, initially blended to enrich Sangiovese and then also studied on their own. This desire to explore encouraged Federico to expand, first in Maremma in 1997 and then in Cortona in 2000.
Present and future
Firm in his belief of the potentiality of the territory of Montepulciano, Federico, for almost twenty years, has focused on reaching the highest expression of this territory in his wines; he has done this at every stage of production, from the vineyards to the cellar, allowing each bottle of wine to express both the tradition and authenticity of our splendid terroir. He has also dedicated himself to the production of “crus” of great renown and the complete elimination of chemical weeding and insecticides, revolutionizing the traditional techniques with a more ‘natural’ and sustainable approach which, from harvest 2021, will yield certified organic wines.
Third generation - today
The family passion for wine and the territory continues with Francesco and Maria Stella, who since 2019 and 2021 respectively, function as essential advisors to Federico, ready to interpret and face both current and future challenges.
The pursuit of excellence starts with grapes grown on our own estate, which we know and skillfully take care of plot by plot. In the vineyard every step happens in the hands of experts, which intervene depending on the specific conditions of every plant and every vintage. Cultivation is rigorously organic, method Simonit&Sirch, with a particular focus on the vitality and continuity of each plant without depending on chemicals, rather on healthy roots and lymphatic vessels.
A lot of attention goes to enhancing the uniqueness and typicality of each parcel of vineyard in a territory as varied as that of Montepulciano. This peculiarity has led Poliziano to identify different crus, of which, to date, Asinone and Caggiole are bottled.
The winery has vineyards belonging to four different areas: Montepulciano, Montefollonico, Maremma and Cortona.
MONTEPULCIANO
Asinone
Exposure: South/South-West
Altitude: 350- 400 m.s.l.m.
Geological origin: Pliocene
Composition: Light brown clayey type sediments often resting on compact sands. The composition is calcareous with a high concentration of calcium-magnesium phosphates, responsible for a high degree of minerality.
Juiciness, compactness and persistence. A kilometer away from Le Caggiole there is Asinone. Its shape in Tuscany is said to look like the ‘back of a donkey’ which gives it its name, which subsequently became one of the very first single vineyards in Tuscany and Italy.
Asinaccio
Exposure: North/North-East
Altitude: 350- 400 m.s.l.m.
Geological origin: Pliocene
Composition: Silty clay with calcium and magnesium.
A clay-type counterfort above Asinone, specular in style, yet fresher.
Caggiole - Terrazze
Exposure: East
Altitude: 300-370 m.s.l.m.
Geological origin: Pliocene
Composition: Sandy with silty lenses and high calcium concentration.
Destined for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Underneath Le Caggiole there are its terraces. They have the same origin, yet with fragmented compositions and altitudes.
Caggiole - Vignone
Exposure: East
Altitude: 350-370m.s.l.m.
Geological origin: Pliocene
Composition: Sediments consisting of coarse sands with the presence of pudding, sandstones and marine fossils. The composition of the sands is slightly calcareous with an important concentration of potassium and its salts, Destined for Caggiole.
Elegancy, verticality and tension. The area exposed East guarantees its own microclimate, mild and fresh, unique in Montepulciano, and since ancient times it was renowned to be particularly vocated for producing balanced and savory wines.
Gracciano
Exposure: South-West
Altitude: 290-310 m.s.l.m.
Geological origin: Pliocene
Composition: Silty clays on pebbles and sands of Pliocene origin.
Gracciano is the area that frames the estate, hence one of the most ancient properties.
Valiano
Exposure: West
Altitude: 320-350 m.s.l.m.
Geological origin: Pleistocenica
Composition: Clays and fine sands.
The area of Valiano, more recent than the one in Montepulciano, is characterized by soft and tenuous tannins.
MONTEFOLLONICO
I Pozzi
Exposure: South
Altitude: 400-450 m.s.l.m.
Geological origin: Pliocene
Composition: Pebbles alternating with clayey-silty lenses with a high concentration of limestone and iron and magnesium salts.
Underneath the village of Montefollonico, facing Montepulciano, the area of ‘I Pozzi’ (‘the wells’) distinguishes itself for the purity of its land, very ancient, giving its wines a fine and memorable tone.
CORTONA
Farneta
Exposure: Mixed
Altitude: 300 mslm
Geological origin: Pliocenica
Composition: compact, dense clay soils containing iron oxide
Destined for In Violas (Cortona DOC).
Characterized by vast highgrounds with high concentrations of Pliocenic clay, the area of Cortona is extremely vocated for Merlot. Indeed in 2006 InViolas was born here. A merlot with a Tuscan soul.
MAREMMA
Magliano
Exposure: South, South-West
Altitude: 100 m slm
Geological origin: Pseudoverrucano
Composition: slopes with very rich presence of skeleton (marlstone galestro)
Destined for 18 ha to Morellino di Scansano and 9 ha to Mandrone di Lohsa (Maremma DOC)
The proximity to the sea and the soil are architects of warm and spicy wines, capable of evoking the intensity of the Mediterranean character.
Cellar
The path of quality continues in the cellar, built and expanded over the years, where all of our experience and care is aimed at producing high quality, natural, distinctive wines that best interpret the terroir. The first selection of the grapes takes place in the field with a harvest done by hand. The second takes place in the cellar with a fiber optic selection for most of the wines and a manual selection for our Cru.
Vinification
The vinification takes place in individual, truncated cone-shaped vats with indigenous yeasts at temperatures maintained around 26 ° C. The goal is to extract the highest quality polyphenolic components (noble tannins).
Refinement
The refinement of the wine takes place in wood barrels of varying size and type (Barrique, Tonneaux, as well as barrels of 30, 60 and 80 hl), chosen to enhance the territoriality of the wines and not overshadow it. Everything happens in a special aging cellar built in 2005 which is humidity and temperature controlled. After the refinement, a period of bottle aging follows, which varies depending on the wine.
Historical archive
More than half a century of Poliziano history is meticulously preserved in the tunnel that connects the winery to the barrel cellar. A library where you can appreciate the evolution of the Poliziano Company.