I Forestieri Girotondo Toscana Rosso

Agricola i Forestieri was born in 2019 as Dario and Ezequiel – two friends and colleagues – decided to embark on their own winemaking journey together.

Dario Marinari cut his teeth working in vineyards and wineries in both Italy and France. He was an apprentice to the folk-legend Stefano Amerighi in Cortona, and gained experience in biodynamic agriculture and natural winemaking at Agricola Le Nuvole, Mas de Daumas Gassac before landing at Ampeleia in Tuscany.

His friend Ezequiel Allassia was born in Argentina and moved to Tuscany over 16 years ago and is now an "adopted native" in the Tuscan Maremma. He was the cellarmaster at Ampeleia, where the two met and ultimately decided to create their own project together: Agricola i Forestieri. "Forestieri" is an Italian term referring to "strangers", as both Dario and Ezequiel come from outside of the Tuscany Maremma.

Over the past years the two have listened closely to the old farmers and local elders in and around the hill-towns of Roccatederighi and Roccastrada, high in the Alta Maremma of Tuscany (a high hill area included in the Park of the Metalliferous Hills, an area protected by Unesco). Dario and Ezequiel have pieced together some 5 hectares of very old, often abandoned vineyard parcels nestled and hidden high in the hills of these villages.

The rehabilitation of the old vines and the combination of elevation and diverse soil compositions (mixtures of gallestro/schist, sand, clay and marne) gives them a sense of place and a fierce attachment to the land from which the wines are made.

These vineyards are tiny parcels, often co-planted in the ancient Etruscan "agricoltura promiscua" method with various local varieties all planted together; such as Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Montepulciano and Grenache for the reds with Trebbiano, Malvasia, Moscato and Ansonica for the white grapes. Elevations range from 250-600 meters giving the wines remarkable balance and complexity.

Vinification takes place in a small cellar where each parcel is fermented and aged individually before a careful assemblage of the various aging vessels and vinification methods is made to create the finished wines. All fermentations use native yeast and each moment, each step in the process is deliberate and careful attention is paid to every detail: ripeness of grapes, de-stemming vs whole cluster, skin maceration, cement tank vs amphora vs ceramic egg vs stainless steel vs cement. Sulphur is used only if and when necessary; Dario and Ezequiel are not dogmatic about the use of sulphur, rather they use it diligently and only when necessary to help create a balanced, pure wine.

Sangiovese, Malvasia Bianca

Located in Alta Maremma in Tuscany, Dario Marinari and Ezequiel Allassia bring us, I Forestieri. After mastering their craft at a number of larger estates throughout Italy and France, the two “forestieri” (foreigners in Italian) discovered old vines ranging from 250m to 600m in the hills of Roccatederighi and Roccastrada. Most of them abandoned, the plots lie on a variety of terroirs (schist, clay, sand, limestone, etc.)

95% Sangiovese, 5% Malvasia Bianca

Natural fermentation and maturation are carried out in concrete vats or amphorae. The reds are vinified in whole bunches, a rarity in the region. Like the ancient Tuscan growers of the region, white grape varieties are sometimes blended with reds, which brings a beautiful aromatic quality.

In this cuvée, Dario and Ezequiel succeed admirably in preserving the bright personality of the berries despite the high temperatures of the region. Thanks to the whole clusters short carbonic maceration, a technique not often used in Tuscany, the aromas of ripe cherries, violets and fennel develop with striking freshness. While the addition of Malvasia Bianca, an ancient practice of blending white and red grape varieties, adds exotic notes. The palate is long and enveloping.