Chianti Classico Riserva – Tenuta Lilliano

Semonte wines begin life on the gentle slopes to the west of the vast territory around Gubbio, where nature and the environment are the splendid background to the breathtaking, mediaeval town of Gubbio, packed with history, culture and traditions.

Cantina Semonte is part of the agricultural company, Azienda Agraria Semonte, in a particularly beautiful landscape where the land has given rise to an ancient, noble wine of superior quality. The perfectly geometric vine rows stretch across the estate giving life and taste to some magnificent wines: Battista (Traditional Method Brut), Cordaro (Dolcetto) and Monteleto (Chardonnay). An ancient tradition which lives on in Giovanni Colaiacovo’s new family business, which has always believed in the values of this unique territory and whose members are now entitled to be considered authentic winegrowers from Gubbio.

Lucigno, an unwitting hero.

A winegrowing revolution, proclaimed in the name of the Unification of Italy, spread through the area around Gubbio from the second half of the nineteenth century. Lucigno, a young farmer, became its unintentional and unwitting hero. The piedmont estate manager of the Abbey of Alfiolo, who had discovered some of the features of his homeland in the Langhe area, the land of Nebbiolo wine, in this corner of Northern Umbria, recognised the young man’s skills. He took him to Piedmont to learn the ancient art of pruning and vinification from a family of farmers from the Langhe area. And Lucigno learnt, not just for himself and the estate, but also for the entire community.

A perfect terroir for wine

The piedmont officials and estate managers were extremely surprised to discover environmental features in the Gubbio area that would support a demanding crop, which had always been restricted to certain areas: the fact that the area faced south-west, the difference in day and night time temperature, its rich iron and limestone marl content and centuries of care made it the ideal environment to cultivate Pinot, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.

Nebbiolo of Gubbio

This is the tradition which the new enterprise of Giovanni Colaiacovo’s family has revived by tracking down the old bouquet of Gubbio’s Nebbiolo with the help of Cantina Semonte and its wines. To go looking for signs, texts and tales of the events surrounding Gubbio’s Nebbiolo means true dedication to rediscovery and rebirth.