Sant’Agnese

(LIVORNO) Sant’Agnese, a family-run company located in Livorno, has raised the prestige of the Val di Cornia appellation with its red and white wines such as L’Etrange, Libatio, Fiori Blu and Spirito.

Sant’Agnese’s History and Terroir

When the Val di Cornia DOC denomination was created in 1989 it did not arouse particular turmoil. Located in the hinterland of the southernmost area of the province of Livorno , it was an area where viticulture was certainly present, but mainly as a local business. The Sangiovese and minor varieties of white were the basis of the cultivation and unfortunately there were no big names of manufacturers capable of giving a certain visibility and reputation at the site. The future, in a period in which in many other parts of Tuscanyimportant wines were produced, he seemed extremely uncertain. From the mid-90s, however, a series of new wineries were born and began to produce their own wines, bottles that gave the Val di Cornia a prestige that often rivals the best known denomination of Bolgheri in the north. And this thanks to the excellent conditions of the cultivation of the vine: the heat of the Tuscan coast and the soil both important for the structure, substance and strength.

Among the most important names that have emerged, the Sant’Agnese estate of the Gigli family, which purchased the property in 1994 as a sort of pension project, something to be dedicated to pleasantly and in peace during leisure time , should certainly be enumerated . Paolo Gigli , however, had other ideas and threw himself into the business with enthusiasm and, in a short time, with competence that quickly turned into results of true excellence. The company is located in the middle of the Piombino promontory, an area that enjoys a very special microclimate due to the strong and constant presence of wind and the climate with mild temperatures both in the cold and warmer seasons.

The wines of Sant’Agnese

These extremely favorable conditions ensure that the grapes are healthy and are able to ripen more slowly, allowing greater maturity of the tannins and polyphenolic concentration. The wines thus obtained showed (and still demonstrate) that the potential of the Val di Cornia, and of Piombino, had been truly underestimated.

The range is wide and includes: the fragrant and wide L’Etrange , a Vermentino ; A Rose is a Rose , a rosé with character; the mature and sparkling Libatio , a Sangiovese ; the powerful and balanced Blue Flowers , an exemplary Cabernet ; and the rich and wide Spirto, a Merlot and Sangiovese. The last two impeccable and simply amazing in their expressiveness.