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Wine Region

Tuscany, Italy

Vineyard

90 hectare

Our partnership with Tenuta di Biserno began with the release of the 2007 vintage and over the years the estate has gone on to establish itself at the very top of the Super Tuscan hierarchy. However, unlike the famous estates of Bolgheri, Biserno is situated a little further north in the rolling hills of Bibbona n Tuscany’s upper Maremma.


Winemaking is overseen by Helena Lindberg who has worked with owner Lodovico Antinori since 2004. The vineyards are managed with the utmost care and with minimal intervention.

The soils at Biserno are rich in minerals and the dramatic views over the Tyrrhenian Sea are a constant reminder of the coastal climate that shapes the wines. The estate’s two wines, Il Pino Biserno and the eponymous Biserno contain a sizeable portion of Cabernet Franc, which brings an energetic sense of freshness and precision seldom seen from the wines of Bolgheri to the south. It is this distinctiveness that captivated us 13 years ago and continues to do so today with the wonderful 2020 and 2021 vintages.

The Team


Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi

The team is led by chief executive Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi. Niccolò is Lodovico and Piero’s nephew, son of their sister Ilaria. Director of viticulture Ranieri Orsini possesses an intimate knowledge of the vineyards and intuitively knows what Lodovico is looking for, having worked with him at Ornellaia for seven years. 

Helena Lindberg

Helena Lindberg is the winemaker, tasked with interpreting the ingredients of the vineyards as faithfully as possible. Formerly a food scientist, she had worked in the Barossa Valley in Australia and then in New Zealand, developing a fervent interest in wine which ultimately took her to France to study oenology. She has worked with Lodovico at Biserno since 2004.

2020

2020 Growing Season

A moderate year with more consistent rainfall in spring, which made temperatures slightly cooler than average. Things began to warm up at the beginning of June and the vines blossomed, albeit slightly later than usual. The summer recorded average temperatures with good fluctuations between day and night. The harvest began in the second week of September with the Merlot grapes, continuing with the Cabernet Franc and ending, in the first week of October 2020, with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

BISERNO 2020


32% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot Mid-ruby colour. Aromas of blackberries and cedary spice offset with menthol lift. The palate is silky and indulgent on the attack, with a freshness and lightness of touch that heightens the full-bodied dark berries, all complimented by chalky, detailed tannins. Impressive.


Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2035+
£695/Case of & 6 Bottles
All prices are quoted in bond UK 

2021

2021 Growing Season

2021 began with a mild winter and average rainfall. The vines were slow to bud, spring being characterised by below average temperatures, but with a hot spell in late March and early April. The beneficial effect of the rain was apparent from April before receding between May and October. Thanks to the fluctuation in temperature between day and night, the vines were spared any water related stress. 2021 is confirmed as a vintage of remarkable balance for Tenuta di Biserno. Harvest began with the Merlot in the first week of September, followed by the Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and, last but not least, Cabernet Sauvignon at the beginning of October.

IL PINO 2021


17% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 8% Other. Deep ruby colour. A nose of plush dark berries, rocky minerality and a bitter cherry lift touched by herbaceous spice. The palate is full bodied and forceful, the inky dark berry fruit delineated by chalky tannins and sustained by fresh acidity. Coffee beans and dark chocolate on the finish. A powerful yet refreshing Il Pino.


Corney & Barrow Score 17 - 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2030+
£225/Case of 6 Bottles
£235/Case of 12 Halves
£85/Case of 1 Magnum
£185/Case of 1 Double Magnum
All prices are quoted in bond UK

INTRODUCTION

Our partnership with Tenuta di Biserno began with the release of the 2007 vintage and over the years the estate has gone on to establish itself at the very top of the Super Tuscan hierarchy.

Biserno cap

However, unlike the famous estates of Bolgheri, Biserno is situated a little further north in the rolling hills of Bibbona in Tuscany’s upper Maremma. 

Winemaking is overseen by Helena Lindberg who has worked with owner Lodovico Antinori since 2004. The vineyards are managed with the utmost care and with minimal intervention. The soils at Biserno are rich in minerals and the dramatic views over the Tyrrhenian Sea are a constant reminder of the coastal climate that shapes the wines.

The estate’s two wines, Il Pino di Biserno and the eponymous Biserno contain a sizeable portion of Cabernet Franc, which brings an energetic sense of freshness and precision seldom seen from the wines of Bolgheri to the south. 

It is this distinctiveness that captivated us 13 years ago and continues to do so today with the wonderful 2020 and 2021 vintages.

HISTORY

The story of Tenuta di Biserno begins with one of the most prominent figures in Italian winemaking, Marchese Lodovico Antinori. 

In 1994 when Lodovico was scouting for land to expand the great super-Tuscan estate Ornellaia, he came across a unique 90 hectare estate that would later become Biserno.

Tucked away in the hills of Bibbona in the Upper Maremma, Lodovico found that the geological and topographical features of the estate were too different to those of Ornellaia — largely due to the fact that soils were too stony and the area too hilly to create a contiguous plot — and so despite falling in the love with the site, the creation of Biserno would have to wait.

However, following the sale of Ornellaia in 2002, Lodovico was free to renew his interest in the estate that captivated him 8 years earlier, and in partnership with his brother Marchese Pietro Antinori, Tenuta di Biserno was formed.

Map of Bibbona

BIBBONA

The stunning views over the hills of Bibbona and the Tyrrhenian Sea, give you a real sense of the terroir that underpins the wines of Tenuta di Biserno.

The first and most obvious is the moderating influence of Bibbona’s maritime climate, which acts as an important counterpoint to the warmth of the Tuscan sun. Moreover, an often-overlooked aspect of terroir is luminosity, as Biserno enjoys excellent light and benefits from perfect exposure to the sun. This combination of coastal breezes and ideal exposure allows the vines rest during the night and achieve more even ripening throughout the growing season.

Biserno’s soils are a combination of clay and the famous “Bolgheri Conglomerate”, which is renowned for its rich mineral content. As at Ornellaia, it is these mineral rich soils that persuaded Lodovico to plant exclusively Bordeaux varietals. On sheltered north-western slopes with denser maritime sediments and clay, Merlot thrives, whereas the higher free-draining gravelly sites are perfect for the Cabernets.

It must be noted that within the estate that there is a very individual parcel, set apart, which was found to produce wines of a very particular, unique character and personality which everyone in the team decided ought to be fostered. It is only offered in particularly advantageous years. This parcel, Vigna Lodovico produces Lodovico, the flagship of the estate which will be offered separately.

Bibbona

The Team

Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi

The team is led by chief executive Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi. Niccolò is Lodovico and Piero’s nephew, son of their sister Ilaria.

Director of viticulture Ranieri Orsini possesses an intimate knowledge of the vineyards and intuitively knows what Lodovico is looking for, having worked with him at Ornellaia for seven years.

Helena Lindberg

Helena Lindberg is the winemaker, tasked with interpreting the ingredients of the vineyards as faithfully as possible. Formerly a food scientist, she had worked in the Barossa Valley in Australia and then in New Zealand, developing a fervent interest in wine which ultimately took her to France to study oenology. She has worked with Lodovico at Biserno since 2004.

THE GROWING SEASON

Biserno sign

2020 Growing Season  

A moderate year with more consistent rainfall in spring, which made temperatures slightly cooler than average. Things began to warm up at the beginning of June and the vines blossomed, albeit slightly later than usual. The summer recorded average temperatures with good fluctuations between day and night. The harvest began in the second week of September with the Merlot grapes, continuing with the Cabernet Franc and ending, in the first week of October 2020, with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

2021 Growing Season

2021 began with a mild winter and average rainfall. The vines were slow to bud, spring being characterised by below average temperatures, but with a hot spell in late March and early April. The beneficial effect of the rain was apparent from April before receding between May and October. Thanks to the fluctuation in temperature between day and night, the vines were spared any water related stress. 2021 is confirmed as a vintage of remarkable balance for Tenuta di Biserno. Harvest began with the Merlot in the first week of September, followed by the Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and, last but not least, Cabernet Sauvignon at the beginning of October.

THE WINES

Il Pino

IL PINO 2021

17% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 8% Other 

Deep ruby colour. A nose of plush dark berries, rocky minerality and a bitter cherry lift touched by herbaceous spice. The palate is full bodied and forceful, the inky dark berry fruit delineated by chalky tannins and sustained by fresh acidity. Coffee beans and dark chocolate on the finish. A powerful yet refreshing Il Pino.

Corney & Barrow Score 17 - 17.5

Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2030+

£225/Case of 6 Bottles

£235/Case of  12 Halves

£85/Case of  1 Magnum

£185/Case of  1 Double Magnum

All prices are quoted in bond UK

Biserno

BISERNO 2020

32% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot 

Mid-ruby colour. Aromas of blackberries and cedary spice offset with menthol lift. The palate is silky and indulgent on the attack, with a freshness and lightness of touch that heightens the full bodied dark berries, all complimented by chalky, detailed tannins. Impressive.

Corney & Barrow Score 18

Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2035+

£695/Case of  6 Bottles

All prices are quoted in bond UK

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