Visit to Podere Ranieri, Massa Marittima

Podere Ranieri is one of those wineries that I like—relatively young, focused on expressing a region rather than a varietal, or worse, a trend. And wineries with a high level of craftsmanship. Wineries where you don’t go to encounter perfection (that it can indeed thrill us in other cases), wineries which offer a local and at the same time intimate interpretation of wine. A winery of IGP wines, where the “P” doesn’t stand for “Protected” but for “Personal” (the wines are bottled under the Toscana IGT label). So, being on a sort of wine tour of the Maremma, a visit was a must.

The Space

Anyone who has been to Tuscany knows this: often these farms, cottages, and estates are like castles that exude investment and almost limitless economic possibilities. Not in this case. Podere Ranieri is located on an insignificant road, not even very easy to reach. It is a house with a small attached winery; in the garden, a pirate flag—but it could be the one from One Piece (the winery shows clear signs of comic book interest)—and upon our arrival, a gray-haired man was working in the vegetable garden.

Welcoming us is Michele Ranieri, a man with generous manners and a calmness that harmonizes well with the surrounding environment. We enter the winery, and it’s very easy to feel at ease among all the company’s boxes.

The Story

The story, as I mentioned, is one of those that I like. Michele’s father used to grow the vines, but when he reached a certain age, he was considering closing the business. At that time, his son lived in Milan, where, as I discover now from LinkedIn, he produced advertising videos. Perhaps because Milan, according to those who leave, doesn’t offer a good life, or perhaps because of the call of both figurative and literal roots, Michele took over his father’s business in 2011.

And here begins a sort of rebranding that appeals to those who love the concept of independent winemakers (take a look at the website to believe it), along with experimentation with the grapes he cultivated. Thirteen years is a mere blink of an eye for a winery, but in my opinion, the direction is more than promising.

The Wines

The Whites

Let’s start with the whites. The first thing I notice is the absence of Vermentino.

“Well, – says Michele – Vermentino around here has a much more recent tradition than one might think. In the Eighties and Nineties, producers needed a white wine option to keep selling to restaurants during the summer and not lose market share. They focused on Vermentino, and it was a commercial success because then, very acidic and saline wines started to become fashionable, but just because something is in fashion doesn’t mean everyone has to do it. For example, I don’t like that style of wine, so I don’t make it because I only make wines that I like. Of course, individual tastes also change and evolve; today you like one thing, a few years later not anymore, and after some more years, you return to where you started.”

Clear, logical, clean. A bit like the whites that seem to appeal to him. He refers to them as the whites “from your area,” those from Northeast Italy. Indeed, I am intrigued by the presence in the catalog of Manzoni Bianco, of which, with a few thousand bottles, Podere Ranieri is the first producer in Tuscany. There was also a blend called Sardonico, but the lease on the vineyard that produced the grapes was not renewed, and the label expired with the contract.

I ask instead to taste the Viognier, which has piqued my interest in recent weeks, and Podere Ranieri’s version undergoes a brief skin maceration. I am perhaps a bit disappointed. The Solo Viognier is elegant but fairly flat, though it is redeemed by a savory finish that enriches it.

The Reds

That’s okay, after all, we are here for the reds. I already know that I will buy two bottles of Solo Merlot, tasted and greatly appreciated at the usual Ferronato and seen again in a wine shop in Massa Marittima.

Out of curiosity, I taste the Senziente, which is Podere Ranieri’s flagship wine. A blend assembled at the end of barrel aging that represents the winery’s signature, their proposal to the outside world. Even in terms of price, the bottle receives special treatment: a bit cheaper than the others, to make it easier to market.

The value is high: it’s truly a really good wine, evolved, with hints of cinnamon and dried red fruits. Garnet with the delicate color of Pinot Noir. Tannins are present but perfectly integrated into a mosaic of flavors. There is charm and delicacy in this glass.

“Here you can feel the terroir,” says Michele. “We are only twenty kilometers from the sea: the Maestrale wind arrives and gives the grapes a character that is unmistakable. Of course, there’s no salt in the wine, but you can perceive the salinity of the wind.”

And for vinification, do you do everything in barrels?

“No, I’m also experimenting with aging in amphorae to keep the wines purer.”

Why not fermentation in amphorae as well?

“Apart from the fact that it’s very expensive to have amphorae for fermenting all the wines, it also requires non-trivial cleaning operations.”

In terms of effects on the wine, is it comparable to cement?

“Well, 99% of wines made in cement are actually made in varnish. Because if you leave the wine in direct contact with cement, the ASL (health authority) comes and turns you inside out. There’s a risk of heavy metal contamination, so the vast majority of cement containers are coated with food-grade paints. The advantage is therefore primarily in temperature control, not micro-oxygenation, which is what I seek in amphorae.”

It’s nice to drink wines, but visiting the producers directly adds an entirely different dimension, and you also learn a lot of things. Well, let’s move on to Solo Cabernet Sauvignon.

The “Solo” line is the one with which Podere Ranieri wants to showcase its varietals in their purest form, using only the best grapes. It doesn’t come out every vintage and doesn’t have the commercial expectations of the Senziente, and for me, this wine is really excellent: it has a lot of substance, with gripping tannins that create the typical mouthfeel of the varietal. There are raspberries, plums, and blackberries, and a nice acidity that gives the whole thing immediacy. Very extroverted, intense, and full-bodied, but never intrusive.

At this point, we have all the information we need for the purchase.

Bottles Purchased

• Solo Merlot x2
• Solo Cabernet Sauvignon x2
• Solo Sangiovese
• Senziente

Cost: €150

Here you find my opinons on the purchased wines.

Michele remains courteous until the end, and we agree on possible future deliveries, given that he doesn’t yet have an importer in Austria. In my opinion, he and his philosophically kindred spirit Marco Sara could make a great impression at an Italian wine event that takes place in Vienna every year. But that’s already another post.