Grapes=Wine: this is the mathematical formula, the equality from which Tenuta Lenzini starts, to describe its creations; live, intense fruits, able to bring back, in any place and at any time, to the sunny days of September, in the rows, in the harvest; wines in which nature takes shape and substance, and where the impact of man becomes non-existent.
This must be the wine: reality, truth... not the pure exercise of an oenologist's style, but the projection of a territory, of the people who work and live in it.
This is why the Estate does not distort what the natural elements give each year, it is thus committed to preserving their authenticity, their natural expression: because the warmth, colour and richness of a wine are to be found first and foremost in the countryside and not in the cellar.
First there is the seed, then the fruit, then the hands that pick it; and above all, passion and love for the land. This is "reasoned viticulture", this "emotional oenology"; the encounter between heart and mind, between passion and truth; between man and nature.
Tenuta Lenzini extends for 24 hectares in the village of Gragnano in the splendid hills of Lucca, in the so-called Lucca Biodynamic, set in a natural amphitheatre that frames it, determining its particular microclimate. Composed of 13 hectares of vineyards and 4 hectares of olive groves, the property finds its origin in the XVI century.
The property of the Arnolfini couple, the famous couple portrayed by Van Eyck in the work exhibited at the British Museum in London, was from the very beginning the production centre for wine and oil in this part of the plain.
The Via Francigena also passed here; Napoleon's troops and the Bonaparts themselves walked in these places and this is one of the reasons, in addition to the undeniable international vocation of our terroir, for which it was decided to plant merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, alicante bouschet, respecting the choices made in the past in this wonderful amphitheatre.
The recent history of the Estate begins with Franco Lenzini, it is he who is able to see beyond the others, betting on the rebirth of a place left to the most total abandonment, making the restructuring, until it becomes even more fascinating. In this land, in fact, it is easy to get lost in the breath of a time that once was; easy at sunset to find yourself listening to a silence that has no age, but instead has great memory.
Today Benedetta, Franco's granddaughter and her husband Michele Guarino, are at the helm of the winery. Every day they strive to create expressive wines, wines where the impact of man becomes non-existent, and where nature takes shape and substance.
Since 2007 the company has undergone a profound change: first the biological management, then the inevitable transition to biodynamic philosophy. Inevitable, because our interest for a living, vital land, able to give intense fruits, with great expressive capacity... and all without the help of chemistry, of artifices, becomes inevitable. No more chemical and synthetic substances, no more sulphur of oil origin.
But it is after the encounter with biodynamic philosophy that everything changes... the point of view of Benedetta and Michele undergoes a substantial change... the focus is no longer the plant, but the soil where it lives, grows and feeds. This is the importance of working to stimulate the vitality of the soil, because the soil is the starting point... and therefore deep tillage in autumn, followed by the sowing of leguminous, cruciferous and graminaceous plants that will be mowed in spring. And again, in autumn, the 500 prepared to give ego, personality to our soil, and to generate humus, life, is distributed. No fertilization.
In spring they use the 501, silica horn, to stimulate the photosynthesis of our plants. Limited use of copper and sulphur, and lots of respect. The same respect that there is in the cellar, where the fermentations are spontaneous, reducing the use of sulphites to a minimum, so as not to alter the fruit that is and must remain an expression of the territory: Gragnano. Aging in steel, cement and not new woods, so that the wine is easily readable.
Many hands work together to preserve the beauty of the estate. Young and quick hands, calloused and warm hands. An ocean of fingers grazing the plants, caring for them with the love of a father. And there are faces, eyes, that every day live Gragnano as if it were their home. "Pietro Moretti, Luca Nesi, Italo Lazzerini, Giacomo Santucci; three different generations who believe extensively in this "corner of Paradise"; because Gragnano is ours, it is theirs". Benedetta and Michele thank them all.