Villa La Ripa
(Winery in Chianti)

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About Winery and Wines

In this gorgeous Renaissance villa, built on the hill of Pecognano, the art of winemaking has been handed down for centuries. The first owner of Villa La Ripa was Marco Peconio (2nd-century a.C.). His name came from Pacho, the Etruscan god of wine, best known by his Latin name Bacchus. After a century the property passed to the Ricoveri Family who raised a fortified building with an attached tower, still visible nowadays. The current shape of the villa is ascribed to the Gualtieri Family, an important lineage of poets, cardinals and wine-growers who acquired it in the Renaissance and registered it in the Order of Saint Stephen’s name. In the nineteenth century, after Napoleon’s troops invaded Arezzo, Villa La Ripa was sequestered and put up for sale by auction. Then the Ubertini family acquired it. They were a noble Aretine family whose most famous member was Guglielmo degli Ubertini, the leader of Aretine soldiers in the great battle against Florence: Campaldino. At the beginning of the last century, Villa La Ripa was passed to the Bucchi family, who expanded the olive groves and vineyards growing in the property. They planted the oldest vineyard which is still in the estate. Then was the turn of the Luzzi Family who wanted to remain along the local traditional path of wine-growing and wine-producing, aiming at high wine quality.

Villa La Ripa's vineyards are in the Chianti dei Colli Aretini area, on a gentle slope, with southwest exposure. The soil is moderately loose-packed, quite windy, set between two torrents. The oldest vineyard of Villa La Ripa was planted at least 50 years ago with the traditional variety of Sangiovese, Canaiola, Trebbiano, Malvasia, and, oddly enough, Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines are planted at a distance of two meters while the rows are three meters far. Today they seem enormous distances, but this was the traditional planting of Tuscan vineyards, which they try to maintain in their originality. The new vines of Villa La Ripa (planted in 2001-2003) have a completely different spacing: 80 cm between the plants and a distance of 220 cm between the rows (Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay). This way, the winery aims at producing two kinds of wines: one is more traditional and closer to the classic Chianti while the other is more innovative, closer to the concept of the Great Super Tuscans.

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Wineries to visit in Chianti