On SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2023, at the Teatro Brancaccio in Rome, Gambero Rosso presented its Vini d’Italia 2024 guide, during which the prestigious Tre Bicchieri award was given to ORPICCHIO 2020 from Villa Dianella – Vinci, Tuscany.
ORPICCHIO 2020, a white IGT Toscana, is the result of a project born at Villa Dianella in 2009, following the discovery of this grape variety in an old mixed-planting vineyard within the estate.
This sparked the idea of trying something different: carrying out careful study, selecting a few Trebbiano biotypes — because that is what Orpicchio is — and planting a small vineyard.
Here in Vinci, in the Tuscan countryside, this wine — called Orpicchio, like the grape variety — has won Gambero Rosso’s prestigious Tre Bicchieri award, confirming the path of quality and excellence taken by Villa Dianella.
“A white wine made from a single ancient grape variety, aged in wood, with a unique, elegant style and a precise DNA,” explains Veronica Passerin d’Entrèves who, together with her husband Francesco (partner in life and work), runs the family estates with passion and drive, where winemaking tradition dates back to the late 1700s.
Orpicchio is harvested by hand: the carefully selected grapes then undergo cold maceration and fermentation in wood, before ageing in French oak tonneaux for 12/16 months and a further year in bottle, producing a wine of extraordinary complexity and longevity.
Eight years after the first harvest and vinification, Orpicchio 2020 shows an impressive freshness and bright colours, with aromas of anise and almond mingling with hints of sea shrub, yellow fruit and white pepper. On the palate, it surprises with its salinity. Full-bodied, with a vibrant citrus freshness. It opens gently, then closes in a crescendo of spice, camphor and ginger, promising many years of glorious evolution.
Its richness and complexity make it the ideal companion for bringing out the refinement of both traditional and innovative cuisine.
Orpicchio 2020 is a distinctive wine expression of a traditional Tuscan grape variety, representing the commitment, passion and research that characterise Villa Dianella. And Gambero Rosso’s Tre Bicchieri award rewards the excellent quality and distinctive character of Tuscan wines beyond just reds, celebrating the region’s rich winemaking heritage.
Veronica Passerin d’Entrèves comments on the award: “After so much work, especially in the vineyard, with a rare grape variety replanted on the estate in 2011, this important award arrives. I am truly proud of the result and the recognition received, and I dedicate it to my family, who always support my ideas, and to the whole team of people who, every day, with passion and dedication, carry forward the development project of VILLA DIANELLA in the lands of Vinci”.
