Tenuta degli Dei

Behind the entrance gate of the Tenuta degli Dei lies the family business of Tommaso Cavalli, where horses and vineyards play a prominent role. So it's no wonder that countless vines are lined up along the gently sloping road into the valley and horses gallop across the paddocks. The picturesque estate is located in San Leolino in Panzano in Chianti, Tuscany, and was bought by Tommaso's father, the designer Roberto Cavalli, in the 1970s.

The area is ideal for Tommaso's greatest passion: breeding valuable trotting horses. Since 1989, he has lived with his family on the 70-hectare Tenuta degli Dei (translated: Estate of the Gods). The horse breeder was introduced to viticulture by none other than the famous oenologist Carlo Ferrini, who convinced him to enter the world of winegrowing in 2000. Since then, the eldest son of the fashion icon has been producing his top Tuscan wines with great success, which have already been recognised in the wine world.

Tommaso's vineyards are located at 400-450 metres above sea level on the sunniest parts of his property. After months of research, the area was divided into small plots and planted in rows with the Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Alicante Bouchet and Sangiovese grape varieties. The production comprises three refined red wines, which, among other things, showcase the coveted terroir of the sun-drenched Conca d'Oro vineyard.

The winemaker is very different from his famous designer father. He enjoys living far away from the limelight and working in the great outdoors. As in fashion and horse breeding, Cavalli only allows the best of the best when it comes to wine. Organic guidelines apply in the vineyard and the grapes, which are carefully selected during the harvest, are passed over vibrating sorting tables when they arrive in the cellar to give the selection process that extra polish.

"In the cellar, I have gradually selected the toasting and origin of the barriques and tonneaux barrels, which I believe improve the ageing potential of my wines, right up to the introduction of traditional cement tanks for the final part of the ageing of my Chianti Classico and the IGT wine Le Redini," explains the dynamic winemaker in conversation. In his modern wine cellar, the selected grapes fall by gravity into temperature-controlled steel vats for fermentation before being transferred to various wooden barrels where they are left to refine in peace.

So when you hear the name Cavalli today, you no longer necessarily think only of the fashion world. For some years now, the famous family name has undoubtedly also been synonymous with top wines from the Chianti Classico region. It is therefore not surprising that Carlo Ferrini is trying to persuade Tommaso to reduce the size of his paddocks and plant a further 3.5 hectares of vines on the Tenuta degli Dei. SUPERIORE.DE