Nozzle Winery
Some years ago I had the opportunity to spend close to a month touring Italy and during that time I especially enjoyed a few short days spent in Lucca, a small town that sits between Florence and Pisa which has been made famous for having one of the most complete sets of Medieval Castle walls anywhere in the world.
Perhaps that trip caused me to have a peculiar appreciation for Italians, their culture and their wine, but no matter your stance on the Italian wine debate, Nozzole Winery is certainly a winery with an interesting story as well as some great wine.
The vineyard lands themselves hold stories which parallel the greater stories and proverbs of Tuscany itself, including the classic parable about an innkeeper sharing a bottle of wine with a destitute many whom could not afford it. As the story goes this destitute man would go on to become the lord of Lucca, Castruccio Castracani would lead one of the longest and best known village wars against Pisa and Florence. It is said that during that war he became aware that the innkeeper was fighting for the other side, upon hearing this he not only gave the innkeeper bread and his finest wine, but he sent him home to his family.
As you might imagine, the details of the story are open to hyperbole and interpretation, however we do know that Nozzole Winery sits on land which has been documented to being planted since the 13th century. It was however, not until the 1980’s that the estate began producing truly world class wine. Now known for both their Chianti Classico as well as being one of the first Italian wineries to plant and cultivate international varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, they now produce one of the truly great Super Tuscans found anywhere in the world. The internationalization of the Italian wine industry is perhaps on show no where more clear then at Nozzle where they have replaced a few native varietals which were reportedly what has grown on the property for hundreds of years (but are making wine which is not high quality) with Chardonnay, specifically a clone from California that deals well with the hot summer days that Tuscany is known for.
Personally, it is this dichotomy of the Italian wine industry which makes things so interesting. Nozzole is able to walk the fine line of being true to their history by producing an outstanding Chianti Classico which retails in the United States for about $30 as well as producing a Super Tuscan that can garner well over $100 per bottle. To me, this sense of entrepreneurship makes Nozzle a winery to watch as they offerings and quality stand to improve over time, just as they have over the past 800 years.