Podere Il Macchione (Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy)

Located in Le Caggiole, one of the finest areas of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano appellation, Podere Il Macchione is a small, family-run estate devoted to producing elegant and deeply characterful wines from Sangiovese, locally known as Prugnolo Gentile. The estate covers just over seven hectares, with around six hectares planted to vines, at approximately 350 metres above sea level. Its distinctive soils of clay, sandstone and marine-derived fossils contribute to wines of remarkable depth, freshness and mineral character.

The estate has an unusual history. The winery was established in 1974 and was acquired in the early 1980s by Robert Kengelbacher, a Swiss dentist and passionate wine enthusiast. His appreciation of fine wine led him to Montepulciano, where he recognised the exceptional potential of the property and developed Il Macchione as a small, quality-focused estate. The Swiss connection was still very much part of the winery's identity when Hannes Hentze first encountered its wines in the mid-1990s.

In 2005, the estate was acquired by brothers Leonardo and Simone Abram, originally from Trentino. They have continued to build on its foundations, maintaining a deliberately traditional and artisanal approach while placing an even stronger emphasis on the vineyard. The estate farms without herbicides and uses careful soil management, green manure and organic fertilisation, with low yields and hand harvesting. Much of the vineyard is planted with mature vines, including approximately two hectares of old vines.

In the cellar, the brothers favour indigenous fermentation, long macerations and extended maturation in oak. Their philosophy is beautifully summed up by the estate's motto, “Tutto il tempo che serve” — “as long as it takes.” The wines are consequently built for patience rather than immediate impact.

The resulting Vino Nobiles combine the characteristic red cherry, wild berry, floral and savoury notes of Sangiovese with impressive concentration, freshness and tannic structure. With bottle age, they develop layers of earth, leather, tobacco, herbs and spice.

A particularly fine expression of the estate is SiLeo, the winery's tiny top selection made from the oldest vines on the higher, better-ventilated part of the property. The name combines Simone and Leonardo, while also echoing the Latin silere, meaning to be silent or still. Produced only in exceptional circumstances and in very small quantities, SiLeo is given an exceptionally long maturation. The 2013 vintage, for example, spent around 50 months in oak and was produced in only approximately 1,300 bottles. The result is a beautifully focused Sangiovese with depth, polished tannins, freshness and remarkable persistence — a wine that illustrates perfectly the estate's philosophy of allowing the vineyard and the wine “as long as it takes” to express themselves.

For Wine Provision Shop, Il Macchione has a particularly personal history. Hannes Hentze first tasted the estate's wines as a student in the mid-1990s, working his way through the different Vino Nobiles and being immediately impressed by their unusual depth, freshness and distinctive character. The wines made a lasting impression — one that ultimately brought this remarkable small estate back into the Wine Provision Shop portfolio.

Today, Il Macchione remains an independent, uncompromising producer whose wines capture the depth, elegance and ageing potential of great Vino Nobile, while retaining a distinctive sense of place and authenticity.