Sarteano, where the property is located, is an area where much of the land is composed of solid clays, and the principal type of agriculture once practiced was that of sheep herding. But there were exceptions, and one of these was the large vineyard known as “Vignone”, already pictured on 19th century maps and today corresponding to the “Le Buche” estate. New and advanced high density vineyards have been planted from 2002 on, and a great deal of different grape varieties have been planted, many of them surprisingly new for Sarteano. The reason behind these choices?
Very simple: an international team of expert agronomists are at work here - Laura Bernini from the University of Perugia, Andrea Paoletti, one of Italy’s most talented professionals, who works all over the world, and New Zealand’s Daniel Schuster, a world-famous consultant (to Ornellaia, to California’s Mandavi family etc.). They have planted, in addition to Sangiovese, such well known grapes as Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah and, as well, more exotic varieties such as Viognier, the Marches’ Verdicchio, and Pugnitello, an endangered native Tuscan vine that has been given a new life thanks to the researchers at the University of Florence. The line is rich and varied, the quality uniformly high, and the property something of a laboratory, a work in progress for the region.