Borgo Syrah Vineyard & Wines

The winery at Borgo Syrah is the prestigious Tenimenti d’Alessandro, a company which has garnered tremendous praise for the production of fine wines, particularly the notable Il Bosco. For the company’s owners – Massimo d’Alessandro and Pino Calabresi – the production of their renowned wines is by no means a small measure of achievement.  There is no doubt Tenimenti d’Alessandro has been influential in the evolution of winemaking in the Cortona region.  While neighboring estates also produce fine Syrah, Tenimenti d’Alessandro outpaced the Cortona market, with prior vintages of the Il Bosco label consistently selling out.  While tendering a nod to the superiority of Tuscan Syrah, Suckling has proffered generous acclaim for how the Il Bosco shows, stating in 2008 that it reminded him of “some of the great Syrahs from the Northern Rhône.”

The partnership between these two aficionados have formed in Borgo Syrah an extraordinary retreat from the stresses of everyday life.  Out of pastoral Tuscan farmland they have formed a village, one that is both architectural haven and functional vineyard, where a community of owners, sharing a similar passion for wine, beauty, and all things Italian, can seek a lingering pace, one which warrants casual exploration and peaceful relaxation, one which begs a glass of wine or two as evening settles in over a spectacular stretch of rich countryside, magnificent accommodations, and a remarkable vineyard. This is how one makes a lifelong investment memorable.

The wines currently produced at Borgo Syrah are:

• Il Bosco, the winery’s flagship Syrah;
• Cortona Syrah D.O.C., similar to Il Bosco, but on the younger side;
• Migliara, which is newer, yet is cultivated from the finest of the vineyard’s Syrah; and
• Fontarca, a white comprised of 100% Voignier.

As this list may signify, ninety percent of wine production at Tenimenti d’Alessandro is cultivated from the Syrah grape, a portion of which comprises their flagship Il Bosco, an elite wine which recently garnered a Wine Spectator rating of 95.  Numerous tasting notes on this wine describe it as complex and subtle, layered with aromas of blackberry and dark chocolate and/or coffee, and boasting full body, with velvety tannins and a long finish.  The remaining portion goes to produce Cortona Syrah D.O.C., identical to Il Bosco but distinct in attributes accounting for the youth of the vines used to produce it and certain other processing factors.  This wine, which is extremely pleasant and approachable, consistently obtains ratings in the high 80s.

The residual ten percent of wine formation at the vineyard is allotted to two other wines.  One is a red labeled Migliara, which while in its infancy has secured a 98 rating!  Referred to by Wine Spectator’s James Suckling as “the bomb,” this first vintage is full-bodied – having been produced by the estate’s finest fruit – and carries aromas of blackberries, anise, and black pepper with highly polished tannins and a very long finish.  The fourth wine is a white, labeled Fontarca, a Voignier presenting oak-heavy and fruity tones, as well as an aromatic character that is at once floral and caramel.  This wine is on the precipice of world fame and should soon be acquiring some fine reviews.

The wines of Tenimenti d’Alessandro represent twenty years of effort from the inauguration of the wine experiment that lead Massimo D’Alessandro’s family vineyard in a new direction, in fact, took the province of Cortona on a new course with D.O.C. recognition for Syrah.  Now that the vineyards have reached the ripe old age of fifteen years in some parts, Tenimenti d’Alessandro is continuing to invest in the quality of the wines produced, thanks to the painstaking efforts and cooperation of two illustrious vine-growers:  Luca Currado, proprietor of Vietti – one of the leading producers of Barolo; and Christine Vernay, the famous winemaker from the Rhone in France.

Given the success of these wines, and the luster of this amazing region, for owner Massimo d’Alessandro and his partner Pino Calabresi, it was only fitting that a village be culled from the historical buildings previously in existence on the estate.  This way, Borgo Syrah unearths a new objective as it transforms into an active colony of oenophiles seeking accommodation amongst kindred spirits.

And there is no time like the present, as this is an optimal era for the vineyard resort, with vineyard tourism growing in popularity by the day.  For the wine enthusiast, there is something enchanting about being in the presence of all that comprises an extraordinary winery producing exceptional wines.  For all those who treat wine as a passion and Tuscany as a destination, Borgo Syrah will prove to be a most attractive vacation retreat.