It took five years of studies, archives, geopedological excavations and discussions with historians and technicians per mezzo di the vineyard. Then two more waits between the first bottles tiptoeing onto the market and the palates starting to wonder. This year – with the 32nd edition of the Preview of Vino Cavalleresco durante Montepulciano – the Pievi project really presented itself per mezzo di the glass and established that this is not a niche novelty, but the collective bet of an entire denomination.
The term “Pieve” is not per mezzo di fact a marketing invention. It recalls the ancient ecclesiastical districts already present per mezzo di the late Roman and Lombard epoca, the administrative and social nodes around which peasant life per mezzo di Tuscany was organised. The Consorzio del Cavalleresco has taken up these historical toponyms as the names of the twelve Additional Geographical Units (UGA) codified per mezzo di the new specification, whose launch was made official with publication per mezzo di the Official Gazette per mezzo di February 2025. The first vintage marketed is 2021 and per mezzo di fact the tastings have seen greater awareness emerge precisely for the debut labels – which are now certified DOCG per mezzo di all respects – while the debuting 2022 (many still aging per mezzo di the bottle) are more uncertain and per mezzo di many cases still marked by wood.
Le Pievi put to the esame by sipping
At the basis of the “Pievi” project is a multidisciplinary work that has led to the cross-referencing of geopedological studies with historical sources, going back to the Leopold Land Registry of 1765, which already identified corresponding territorial subdivisions. Twelve microzones, twelve distinct organoleptic profiles, all children of the same hills of Montepulciano but with a character of soil, exposure and microclimate that the specification intends to enhance and protect.
The production parameters are more restrictive than the classic version of Cavalleresco: at least 85% Sangiovese (locally called Prugnolo Educato), supported exclusively by complementary native vines permitted by the specifications, with the obligation that all the grapes quasi from the vineyards of the bottling company. Guaranteeing qualitative consistency is a technical commission within the Consortium, made up of oenologists and technicians, which examines each wine before release, verifying not only its regulatory compliance but also its adherence to the expected identity profile.
Acceso the market, the Pievi are destined to represent around 10% of the total production of Vino Cavalleresco, equal to around 600 thousand bottles a year – a deliberately limited quantity, designed to position itself per mezzo di a high range without losing the identity of the mention.
The response to the first real catwalk of the 2026 Preview is however positive: the structure is there, even if it takes time for the finesse to emerge, while the strong territorial recognizability is surprising with the emergence of tannins and sweetness, depth and fruit.
Among the most convincing are the Pieve Caggiole 2021 by Poliziano and the Pieve Caggiole 2022 by Masseria Tiberini, characterized by a lively and delicious flavor, with a dark and deep fruit; the Pieve Cerliana 2022 by La Ciarliana and the Pieve Cervognano 2022 by Vecchia Bistrot durante Montepulciano, both straddling a young tannin (with vegetal hints) and the delicate spices of a sober refinement, aligned with Spesso Pieve Cervognano 2022 by Le Bèrne which tames the sip with balsamic agenda and a bitter .
Among the 2021s that present themselves per mezzo di the glass with awareness are the Fianco Grosso Pieve Cervognano, elegantly deep; the Pieve San Biagio de Le Bertille, structured and balsamic with agenda of cola; the Pieve Sant’Ilario by Azienda agricola del Cerro is concentrated and long per mezzo di the mouth, with dark fruit; finally, above all, the convincing Pieve Valardegna of Il Molinaccio durante Montepulciano, the most successful expression of excellent Cavalleresco, elegant without affected sweetness and vibrant per mezzo di the pulp of the fruit.
The Nobleman and the territory
While the Parish Churches debut for the public, the denomination as a whole consolidates solid numbers. A causa di 2025, 6.4 million bottles of Vino Cavalleresco and 2.5 million bottles of Diventare rosso durante Montepulciano were placed acceso the market. Exports covered 64.5% of total sales. The average annual value of wine production is around 65 million euros. And around 70% of the local economy is directly related to wine.
A causa di this context, the 2023 Cavalleresco vintage tasted per mezzo di the Preview presents itself with the delicate tones typical of the Montepulciano territorio, with a delicacy of fruit that emerges when the producers do not push too much acceso refinement. Among the best tastings are Masseria Svetoni, the Pagliareto durante Lunadoro, Alboreto durante Talosa and the Santa Caterina durante Trerose, all aligned per mezzo di the expression of the fruit with elastic tannins and hints of undergrowth and citrus fruits, with beautiful flavor. Then La Spinosa del Molinaccio durante Montepulciano and Cavalleresco durante Monticello alla Salone stand out, both playing acceso the crunchy, vibrant fruit, not too pulpy, but refined by a tension that heralds longevity – to be put per mezzo di the cellar without thinking twice.
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