Flavio Rabitti

WHO WE ARE

You can find everything in a small object. This is the motto of Flavio Rabitti, a poet of the earth who, riding his instinct, confronting his studies in agriculture, opening his heart to passion, set out in search of a place that “felt the sea, a vineyard, a small house and a little wood “. And so, he arrived from Florence in the locality of Calzalunga, a stone’s throw from the green lung of the Montioni Park. The story began with a hectare of vineyard and half an olive grove, a small ancient world with rows of olive trees married to the vines. A wedding from the past full of so much beauty and that symbolizes the sense of biodiversity. Powerful trunks supporting the vines: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo, Colorino, Giacomino and non-classified indigenous varieties. And then also Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia, Cabernet Franc and Aleatico. Calzalunga is a place of magical solitude with an important history. Flavio has carefully studied the land and documents from the past: “In ancient times this was the wine district of Suvereto. Here in Calzalunga, Napoleon’s sister Elisa Bonaparte, princess of Lucca and Piombino and Grand Duchess of Tuscany planted experimental vineyards at the beginning of the 19th century. She imported French vines from the Botanical Garden of Marseille. She liked Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Sangiovese”. PerElisa is the wine that tells this story. Vinified with natural methods with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and other native red grape varieties of the area, just as the Princess liked. The other wines that come out of the tiny Calzalunga winery are the white Orofino produced with Malvasia and Trebbiano Tuscan grapes and a passito di Aleatico that winks at the nearby Elba Island. “We are located in a ventilated area, not too humid but not too dry with a generous soil, an ideal environment for a vineyard. The important temperature range between day and night in the summer period gives polyphenols and aromas that create a beautiful complexity “. Truffles are the other great passion, however, more linked to inland Tuscany, near “his” Florence. What is wine for Flavio? “A form of art. From a bunch of grapes, you can make a thousand different wines. The winemaker transforms a product of the territory with a percentage of 30%. History, interpretation, knowledge, and sensitivity form the identity of the wine. The technology for small companies is useful but needs to be well balanced because it can lead to standardization”. Humble, practical, disenchanted, creative and aware, this winemaker escapes any kind of standardization.

TIPS FROM THE PRODUCER

VISITS AND TASTINGS

WHERE WE ARE