Is it possible that the greatest enthusiast and expert of Northern Rhône Syrah is actually an Italy chap living in Tuscany? Quite possibly yes, though describing Stefano Amerighi simply as a 'chap' should probably be a crime. Undeniably, he is the King of Italian Syrah. Ever since tasting Il Bosco 1995 Syrah from Tenimenti d’Alessandro as a young Somm, it has been Amerighi's mission to produce perfect wine that reflects the grape he loves and the terroir he adores. It isn't a single minded vision either, he has worked tirelessly for the Cortona as a region, he's the president of the DOC in fact, wanting to raise the bar for wine produced here. Cortona and Syrah are becoming synonymous with one another and in forging this bond, he has in turn set a remarkable bench mark for how Cortona's soil, vineyard and cellar is cared for. It is not surprising that he farms organically and biodynamically.
Cortona is positioned on the slopes of Mount Sant’Egidio, generally 600m above sea-level, though some parts of Cortona DOC hit 850m above! For a long period of time, this was Trebbiano country. Digging through the history books here you come across a few minor mentions of Syrah here, but it really emerged off the back of experimentation and risk taking in the 80's. The results began to highlight the fact that this is perfect Syrah territory. Warm bright days matched with superb diurnal variation, thanks to both cooler clay soils and that altitude.
Stefano has said “My farm was born from a wish that matured over the years, to be able to produce a grand Syrah through the farming traditions of my family, passion, knowledge in the world of wine and the practice of biodynamics. In order to reach this objective, I had identified an area of Chiuso di Cortona, named Poggiobello di Farneta, in the middle of which, as though it were a cru, there are two well exposed hills to south, south-east, closed within an old pebbly street to the west, a grove to the south and a ridge to the east to close the panorama. Today, my intention is to propose a natural practice as an alternative to conventional agriculture through the cultivation of cereals, vegetables and fruit to the breeding of animals, together with the production of a great Syrah!”
Stefano's farm covers more than just vines. He keeps the sweetest Chianina cows that Robin and co adored on our last visit.