Modern Bolgheri: a family story of courage, Sangiovese and a second generation with a scientific mind
The view from the estate towards the Tyrrhenian Sea
There are few places in Italy where the story of wine changed as fast as in Bolgheri. Driving up the famous Viale dei Cipressi from the coast towards the village, it is hard to believe that only fifty years ago this was a land of fruit orchards, cattle and simple table wine. Everything started with a man and an idea: Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Tenuta San Guido in 1944, drank it privately for more than twenty years, and finally released the 1968 Sassicaia in 1971. The world noticed. In 1981 Lodovico Antinori founded Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, his brother Piero followed with Guado al Tasso, and a small coastal village became one of the most famous wine addresses on the planet. The rules followed the wines: the Bolgheri DOC was born in 1983 for whites and rosés only, the reds and the Bolgheri Superiore arrived in 1994, the Consorzio was founded in January 1995, and in 2013 Sassicaia received its own DOC.
The Satta story
Right in the middle of this revolution there was a young agronomy student from Varese, near the northern lakes. Michele Satta came to the Tuscan coast in the 1970s, worked on local farms, and in 1983 rented his first vineyard and a small family cellar. He also worked as a vineyard consultant, Ornellaia among others, and in 1991 he planted his own vineyards and founded the winery. Michele was never a man to copy Bordeaux. Next to Cabernet and Merlot he planted Sangiovese, Syrah, Viognier and even Teroldego from Trentino, a gift from his old agronomy professor. He made one of the first Bolgheri Bianco wines, his first tiny Viognier harvest was fermented in old barriques and praised by Luigi Veronelli, and he is one of the founding members of the Bolgheri Consorzio. Today the estate farms 23 hectares around Castagneto Carducci.
“My job became expressing a sense of the Mediterranean in Bolgheri.”
2019: a new generation
Then, in 2019, the most important chapter began. Michele handed the winery to his children, Giacomo and Benedetta Satta. This second generation respects the history of the family, but brings a modern twist and a very scientific approach. Giacomo calls it "Modern Bolgheri", and after one day with him I understand exactly what he means. It is an honour for me to work with people like Giacomo, who keep the tradition of their family alive while writing the next chapter of Bolgheri.
With Giacomo Satta at the estate
In the cellar with Giacomo
I visited the estate on a bright, windy October day, with the sky so blue that you could see the sea line behind the olive trees and the vineyards. Giacomo welcomed me and walked me through the cellar, and the first room tells you everything. Under a yellow wall with a poem by Rilke stand clay amphorae and hand-painted cement eggs, next to the big oak barrels. Since 2019 cement and amphora are used for fermentation and ageing of the different wines, while barrique remains, above all, the home of Piastraia. Deeper inside, the cellar is dug into the bare rock of the hill. Out in the vineyards, modern technology monitors every aspect of the growing season, so every decision has data behind it. Giacomo's goal is clear: wines with freshness and ageing potential, wines that taste of the territory, in his own contemporary style.
Amphorae, painted cement eggs, the rock cellar and the Piastraia library
The tasting
Then we sat down to taste, and the wines told the same story. Costa di Giulia, a single-vineyard Sauvignon and Vermentino, opened the line-up: very fresh, very Mediterranean, with clear Sauvignon notes. Giovin Re 2024 is the white that surprised me most. Viognier is usually a big, fat, floral grape full of exotic fruit, but Giacomo's version shows cedar and chamomile and is lighter, fresher and gentle. In 2024 it saw no wood at all, and the critics loved it too: 94 points from Falstaff, Wine Enthusiast and Vinum, and 93 from James Suckling. The Bolgheri Rosso 2024, which Giacomo calls "the red wine of the winery", comes from the younger vineyards: 30% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Syrah and 10% Teroldego, aged 12 months half in 30-hectolitre cement and half in second and third-use barriques. It is tasty and fresh, with lively acidity and well-built tannins, perfect by the glass, and James Suckling scored it 93 points, a great result for an entry red.
“Bolgheri is Cabernet.”
The heart of the tasting was Piastraia 2023, the wine Giacomo has studied the most, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. From 2023 Piastraia no longer contains Sangiovese: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot to add delicacy and 10% Cabernet Franc. Giacomo is a big fan of Saint-Julien, and you can feel that inspiration in the glass. The nose is very expressive, still developing, and it literally exploded in the glass while we talked. It is also the 30th harvest of this wine, and the critics celebrated it: 97 points from James Suckling, who praised its savoury, herbal reserve and velvety, ripe tannins; 95 points from Wine Advocate, which highlighted its balance and harmony; 94 from Wine Enthusiast, with its floral, saline freshness; and 93 from both Vinous and Falstaff. A detail I love: Piastraia became Bolgheri Superiore only in 2012. While the big names took the Superiore as soon as the category was born, Michele chose to wait until his vineyards were old enough.
We closed with Marianova 2022, Sangiovese and Syrah: crisp and powerful, with high tannins, great grip and plenty of fruit. It will gain beautiful tertiary notes with time, and it is one of the most awarded wines of the estate: 96 points from James Suckling, Falstaff and Vinum, 95 from Wine Enthusiast, and 93 from Wine Advocate and Decanter. And yes, Michele Satta is also one of the few producers making a 100% Syrah in Bolgheri.
Tasting notes
Costa di Giulia
Bolgheri Bianco DOC · Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino
APPEARANCE Pale lemon, bright and clear.
NOSE Clean, medium(+) intensity: gooseberry, lime zest and grapefruit, sage and a saline note of Mediterranean scrub.
PALATE Dry, high acidity, medium body, crisp and sapid, with a medium(+) finish.
CONCLUSION Very good. Precise and refreshing; drink now and over the next 2 years.
Giovin Re 2024
Bolgheri Bianco DOC · Viognier
APPEARANCE Pale lemon with silvery glints.
NOSE Medium intensity and deliberately restrained for Viognier: chamomile, white blossom, cedar and a touch of white peach.
PALATE Dry, medium(+) acidity, medium body with a gentle, silky texture, delicate stone fruit and herbs; medium(+) finish.
CONCLUSION Very good to outstanding. An elegant, fresh reading of the grape; drink now or keep 3 to 5 years.
Bolgheri Rosso 2024
Bolgheri Rosso DOC · Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Teroldego
APPEARANCE Medium ruby with a purple rim.
NOSE Medium(+) intensity, youthful: red and black cherry, plum, Mediterranean herbs and a light spice.
PALATE Dry, medium(+) acidity, medium ripe tannins, medium body, juicy fruit; medium finish.
CONCLUSION Very good. Fresh and versatile, ideal by the glass; drink now to 2029.
Piastraia 2023
Bolgheri Superiore DOC · 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
APPEARANCE Deep ruby with a purple rim.
NOSE Pronounced and developing in the glass: blackcurrant, black cherry, cedar, graphite, mint and Mediterranean herbs, with sweet spice from the barrique.
PALATE Dry, medium(+) acidity, high but velvety, fine-grained tannins, full body, layered dark fruit; long finish.
CONCLUSION Outstanding. Balanced, intense and complex; approachable now, at its best from 2028 to 2040.
Marianova 2022
Bolgheri Superiore DOC · Sangiovese, Syrah
APPEARANCE Deep ruby.
NOSE Pronounced: black cherry, blueberry, violet, black pepper and a hint of tobacco.
PALATE Dry, high acidity, high and grippy tannins, full body, concentrated fruit; long finish.
CONCLUSION Outstanding. Powerful and still youthful; tertiary notes of leather and forest floor will come. Drink 2027 to 2037.
At the tasting table, and the umbrella pines on the way out
A big thank you to Giacomo Satta for his time, his passion and his vision, and to the whole Satta family for the warm welcome. Bolgheri has many famous names, but few stories are as personal as this one: a father who came from the north with an idea of the Mediterranean, and two children who are now taking it into the future.
WORK WITH MICHELE SATTA
Are you an importer, distributor or restaurant interested in the wines of Michele Satta? Let's talk.
Salute, Michele Satta!
For further info, please visit the website www.michelesatta.com.