Salcheto: A Modern Vision for a Noble Land
Kristin and I were lucky enough to spend a few days in Montepulciano on our last trip to Tuscany, and the town itself is every bit as charming as its wine. Winding our way through the ancient city walls, the cobblestone streets were blocked off to cars and thus full with the lively energy of shops and restaurants. The food was as incredible as the views, and the hills were an excellent way to help us work up an appetite for each hearty Tuscan meal we indulged in. We were fortunate enough to stay at a lovely hotel, Albergo La Terrazza di Montepulciano, owned by the family of Salcheto’s Sales and Marketing Manager. the owner was a gentleman whose lively nature and recommendations really cemented the small-town, family-run feel of the entire region.
It’s this very spirit of a region that makes the story of Salcheto so captivating. This isn't a family whose roots here stretch back to the Renaissance; rather, it’s a modern tale of a man who was so captivated by this place that he dedicated his life to it.
I recently interviewed the visionary behind it all, Michele Manelli, who shared his journey with me. His path to wine was anything but traditional. After high school, he studied political economics and even worked as a consultant in international tax planning “helping people cheat taxes, legally” as he put it. This was a career he quickly realized didn’t align with his values. It was moving to Tuscany with his family that changed everything. Michele recalled how he fell in love with the area, describing it as a place that feels like it’s "floating in time and space". The region still seems very linked to the renaissance, with each locality having its own liveliness and history especially as it relates to wine and culture.
He was initially drawn to the idea of a simple, quiet life on the land and dreamed of ways that he could simply retire early, but as he learned more, he quickly realized the profound connection between winemaking, history, nature, and culture. What started as a personal passion soon became his life’s work, and in 1997, he took over what was then a traditional multi-crop farm to transform it into the winemaking reality we know today.
Montepulciano: The Land of Elegant Sangiovese
The Montepulciano region is a true mosaic of terroir, and its distinct character is a crucial part of Salcheto's story. While located in southern Tuscany, its climate is more continental than its neighbors. The region’s proximity to the Apennine Mountains provides cooling currents that create a significant diurnal temperature swing, allowing grapes to develop sugar during the day and preserve a vibrant acidity at night. This delicate balance is a key differentiator from the sun-drenched, warmer climate of Montalcino or the more rustic, galestro-dominated soils of Chianti Classico. As Michele puts it, the Sangiovese from Montepulciano's clay soils and sandy clays is more elegant and fresh, a style he personally compares to a Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir. It focuses on minerality and depth over a forceful, bold character.
The profound geological history of Montepulciano is fascinating, the region’s soils are a complex mix of ancient marine and fluvial-lacustrine sands and clays from Pliocene and Pleistocene origins. This is a crucial distinction, as these soil types directly influence the resulting wine's profile. Pliocene soils—composed of thin, mineral-rich marine sands and clays—tend to produce wines with greater concentration, a deep color, marked tannic structure, and floral notes in addition to red fruits. In contrast, the deeper, more siliceous sands and clays of Pleistocene soils, formed by ancient rivers and lakes, yield a less concentrated wine with "smoother," silky tannins and a greater emphasis on ripe red fruit, citrus, and spice. This incredible diversity, which also includes pockets of clay, limestone, and silt , creates a unique, nuanced expression of Sangiovese that sets it apart from its neighbors.
Salcheto: A Story of Purpose-Driven Winemaking
Salcheto’s name itself is a tribute to this land. It is named for the stream that flows below the town of Montepulciano, a place where willow trees (Salco) once thrived, their flexible branches historically used to tie vines. This sense of place is at the heart of everything Michele does, but he wanted to take his passion one step further. He understood early on that businesses could be a force for social progress, and by the mid-2000s, he was on a mission to pioneer a new era of sustainability in winemaking. His vision was to create a holistic business model that considered every aspect of the winery’s impact, from climate change and biodiversity to its workers and the community. In his words, he was looking to create a business model that was "contemporary classic".
This vision began as a traditional, multi-crop farm founded in 1984. In 1997, Michele took over the property, a pivotal moment that began the process of transforming it into a specialized winemaking operation. His efforts quickly paid off, and by 1999, the winery released the first vintage of its flagship Salco cru wine from the oldest vineyard on the property.
In the early days of the winery the perception of the challenge of sustainability was quiet different than it is today. “There was a lot less trauma and reactions from the environment” Michele explains. People were of course already thinking about their relationship with the land, their workers, and the government but it was much more of a personal value rather than something that was openly promoted. in the early 2000’s understanding of environmental and social responsibility grew and Michele realized that businesses were at the center of it all. The idea of a holistic business model grounded in sustainability was born in 2005, and Michele began designing a new cellar with the explicit goal of energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact. As the business grew, Michele's focus turned to building a model that could compete in the international market, leading to its conversion to a limited partnership to attract new investors.
This vision culminated in 2010, when Salcheto became the first winery in the world to certify the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine, a groundbreaking moment for the industry as a whole. The new "off-grid" cellar, a marvel of sustainable architecture, was inaugurated for the 2011 vintage. This was soon followed in 2012 by the launch of the Obvius line, a pioneering collection of "neo-natural" wines crafted with only grapes and nothing else. The winery's dedication to a verifiable standard led it to help found and become certified by Equalitas in 2016, a third-party standard that measures environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Most recently, in 2021, the winery’s efforts were recognized globally when it was honored as one of only 24 wineries worldwide to receive the prestigious Robert Parker Green Emblem.
The physical embodiment of this ethos is Salcheto’s stunning "off-grid" cellar. This ingenious design incorporates a range of features to achieve energy independence. Vertical gardens act as natural insulation, while solar skylights and angled mirrors channel natural light down into the 18-meter-deep cellar, removing the need for artificial lighting. This is supplemented by an integrated system of photovoltaic, geothermal, and biomass energy production. But the innovation doesn't stop there. Michele and his team have developed a unique CO2 recycling system that uses the naturally produced carbon dioxide from fermentation to mix the juice and skins. This not only removes the need for electrical pumps but also helps prevent oxygenation, allowing Salcheto to produce its wines with less added sulfites. This technological investment is the very thing that enables their non-interventionist winemaking style, proving that technology and a pure expression of the land can be in perfect harmony.
This forward-thinking mindset led Salcheto to become the first winery in the world to certify the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine. As Michele puts it, sustainability is not a cost, but a "strategic investment".
Viticulture and Winemaking at Salcheto
Salcheto's commitment to quality and sustainability begins in the vineyards. The estate is comprised of over 60 hectares of organically farmed grapes, with a philosophy inspired by biodynamic practices. Michele and his team work to avoid soil compaction and follow the moon cycles for planting and pruning, focusing on a deep connection to the land that is tangible in the final product. While their initial vineyards were located in the valley immediately surrounding the winery, they have since expanded into the Abbadia district to add complexity to their wines with a bit more sand in the soil composition.
The winemaking process itself is a meticulous fusion of tradition and technology. All of Salcheto’s wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts. Depending on the wine they use both stainless steel and large wooden vats for fermentation and age the wines in a combination of stainless steel, large Slavonian oak barrels, and some smaller French oak tonneaux. This is often followed by bottle aging at the property as well. The most powerful and age-worthy wine in the portfolio is the Salco cru, which is produced from the estate’s oldest vineyard and is aged for two years in wood and up to four years in the bottle before release.
An interesting point of difference is Salcheto's Riserva, which is made using the "Governo Toscano" method. This technique involves slightly over-ripening some of the grapes and allowing them to wither before adding them to the fermentation, a process that creates a more concentrated and structured wine with smoother tannins. This approach demonstrates a willingness to experiment with historical techniques to achieve a desired modern style.
Salcheto's pursuit of a pure expression of the fruit is perhaps best highlighted by their Obvius line of wines. These wines are crafted with "grapes only" in stainless steel without any outside influences. This non-interventionist style is made possible by the winery's high-tech cellar, which uses a proprietary CO2 recycling system to prevent oxygenation during fermentation, a technical detail that is key to making pure wines without the need for sulfur. They also do not use fining agents and use a light, three-micron filtration to remove unwanted solids before bottling. This delicate balance of high-tech intervention and minimal chemical input is a clear example of how Salcheto is redefining the boundaries of traditional winemaking.
Michele’s newest innovation may be my favorite. He recently started producing a boxed wine named the Fiasco! In the ultimate pursuit of sustainability removing glass altogether from the equation significantly reduces the carbon footprint of a wine. However instead of putting a ‘lesser’ wine into his boxes like the historical box wine market may suggest, he put in a wine of the same quality as his Vino Nobile. The idea is that if you are going to drink great wine often, then it should be as sustainable choice as possible. Due to packaging it must be labeled as a Toscana IGT however and not Vino Nobile.
Vintages: A Snapshot of Recent Years
As with any fine wine region, the vintages in Montepulciano tell a story all their own. Michele gave me a brief overview of some of the most recent years, providing a clear picture of how the unique terroir of the region expresses itself in different conditions.
2024: A strange and unique vintage. It was hot and dry, but the grapes didn't dry out. The result was a surprisingly elegant wine, a clear departure from what you might expect from a warmer vintage.
2023: A more difficult year due to mildew. The resulting wines had a bit more body.
2022: A more elegant and attractive vintage.
2021: A tough year with a cold snap in April, but the wines are intense, rich, and powerful.
2020: A round and spicy vintage, with wines that are approachable and can be enjoyed early.
2019: A classic, balanced, and universal vintage. It was quite hot, but with plenty of rain in the spring and several downpours in the summer.
