La Torre farm takes its name from the antique 10th Century Medieval tower, which has been skilfully refurbished and even today is the distinguishing feature of the rural village, La Villa, located in the hills of San Gimignano, in the centre of the most suggestive and fascinating landscapes on earth: a land of vineyards and olive groves.

Owner: Enrico Angiolini

Winery Philosophy: The Vernaccia of Enrico Angiolini is estate bottled and estate produced and made with 100% Vernaccia. It has a seductively floral bouquet, a clean slightly flinty taste and a finish that is long and satisfying. The body is rich and velvety. The change from DOC to DOCG and the more stringent restrictions have not changed the way Vernaccia is produced at La Torre as Angiolini has always imposed strict quality controls. His is the style of Vernaccia that Michelangelo must have had in mind when he demanded several cases as part of his payment while painting the Sistine Chapel.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano was the first DOC in Italy for white wine and had a much more widespread recognition in the past than it does today. The Vernaccia of the past was a light golden-colored wine, full-bodied, rich and round, with a special freshness and elegance. This description alone gives the impression of a wine that can age and, in fact, Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the only Italian white wine that has the right to be called Riserva if aged for 1 year. Greed, over-production and poor administration has begun to wear away at the image of this wine and the traditional style that brought it so much acclaim in the past.

Winery Acreage: 350 hectares, but only 42ha under vine.

Varietals Produced: Vernaccia di San Gimignano

Winemaker: Enrico Angiolini

The fame of this varietal (100% Vernaccia) is as much tied to the city from which it comes as to the wine itself. San Gimignano is a beautiful Tuscan town renown for its towers. In a great show of one-upmanship during the 10th Century the inhabitants constructed 72 towers each one more beautiful and higher than the other. Today only 14 of those towers remain and one is on the 350 hectare estate of Enrico Angiolini, 42 of which are under vine. Angiolini is a traditionalist and he believes that more than just the fame of this city should be tied to the wine. He fought hard to see that the wine bearing the San Gimignano name is from grapes grown and bottled within the confines of the community. He was successful not only from blocking large Chianti houses from bottling Vernaccia outside the zone, but he was also responsible for its receiving a DOCG, Italy’s second white wine to be so honored.