Le Tre Stelle

Italy > Tuscany > San Gimignano

 

Description:
The “three stars” that run the Tre Stelle estate are Maria Rubicini and her two daughters, Antonella and Donatella, who in the past two decades have made quite a name for themselves, running a fully functional farm and wine estate as a team in a largely male-dominated profession.
The family originally came from the Marche region to the east, but the agricultural attractions of the San Gimignano area proved too great to resist. Today, practically everything is grown at the estate: homemade pasta, luscious vine-ripened tomatoes, olive oil from their own groves, and, of course, superior Tuscan wine.

Le Tre Stelle specializes in the traditional wines of the San Gimignano district: the fresh, lively Vernaccia di San Gimignano, now a D.O.C.G. and definitely one of Italy’s best whites; a sturdy Chianti Colli Senesi, a San Gimignano rosso, a new D.O.C. recently granted to Sangiovese-based reds grown in tandem with the whites; and two estate specialties. Many areas in Italy still grow archetypical grape varieties that, for one reason or another, are not allowed to be mixed with authorized grapes for the Denominazione di Origine Controllata. One of these is an ancient red variety known as Ciliegiolo rosso; it was already known in Roman times but is not to be found outside Tuscany, and very few estates bother with it anymore. But the Rubicinis do, with spectacular results; it is indeed a Super Tuscan, in quality and in caliber, and hence most be sold as an IGT Toscana. Ciliegiolo stands as a kind of intellectual curiosity, quite removed from the reference books and definitely obscure – until you try it.

The second red specialty of Le Tre Stelle is a pure Merlot, called “Doanto” after the two Rubicini sisters, which because it is not a traditional Tuscan variety must also be sold as IGT Toscana. But Donatella and Antonella Rubicini seem to have mastered the art of matching this French grape to their climate and the terroir; the wine is not barrique aged and is released after its first year to keep its lovely fresh fruit. Doanto is a velvety synthesis of Merlot’s primary flavors with the warmth that relates to its producing zone.

Visiting Le Tre Stelle will be a rewarding experience for any wine lover. The Rubicinis are extremely receptive hosts, with their authentic home cooking and reasonable accommodations that are very much a part of the Tuscan wine experience. In recent years they have won many awards from state and local judgings, figure extensively in the important Veronelli wine guide, and have been noted in Decanter magazine.
 

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Website: http://www.letrestelle.com