Vallepicciola is a recent enterprise of the Ligurian entrepreneur Bruno Bolfo in the Chianti area in the province of Siena. After buying an old convent to turn it into a 5-star resort, Bolfo also created a modern winery with 105 hectares of vineyards.
The Vallepicciola estate extends on the ridge that acts as the right bank of the Arbia river in the western wing of the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga between 300 and 400 m above sea level. In addition to Sangiovese, the international varieties Pinot Nero, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay are also grown in the vineyard. The permanent staff of the winery is led by Riccardo Cotarella, one of the most famous Italian oenologists in the world. The vineyards coexist with woods, arable land, olive groves, thus preserving the biodiversity typical of the Chianti landscape and are conducted with sustainable agriculture.
The cellar is a modern building work inspired by organic architecture, designed by the architect Margherita Gozzi with materials such as glass and steel. The cellar was designed to have the different work phases in different levels, so as to exploit gravity to move the wine.
The style of the wines is modern and designed for contemporary consumers. In the last year, Vallepicciola produced 320,000 bottles.