Maremma, an ancient
borderland

The Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte estate spans 100 hectares in the southernmost reaches of the Morellino di Scansano appellation, facing the Tyrrhenian Sea. Of these, 11 hectares are dedicated to Sangiovese for the production of the estate’s flagship wine, Ghiaccio Forte Morellino di Scansano DOCG crafted exclusively from 100% Sangiovese since the 2018 vintage.

Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte

A solitary and towering hillock with a 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape, it is no coincidence that the Etruscans chose this important crossroads between the coast and the hinterland, between Tuscany and Lazio, to build the fortified city of Ghiaccio Forte that inspired the winery’s name.

At the foot of the hill – completely exposed to the sun from east to west – flows the placid Albegna river. Its winding course grazes the hill where the estate stands, and crosses cultivated fields, pastures and thousand-year-old woods. The river springs from the nearby MountBuceto, an Apennine peak that rises in the southwestern end of the Amiata.

The Amiata massif, of volcanic origin, serves as the natural border between the coast and the hinterland: it encloses the Grosseto Maremma from the southern hills of Montalcino to Lake Bolsena.

A transitional climate

Situated between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the hinterland, between Tuscany and Lazio, between the hills and the plains, Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte enjoys a very particular climate.

The Albegna river serves as a passageway for the warm winds from the coast, which meet the cool currents descending from Mount Amiata. The vineyards are directly exposed to the sun, balanced by the proximity to the sea, allowing the grapes to reach perfect ripeness. The weather is hot in summer, but cool and breezy in other seasons, with an important diurnal temperature variation that strengthens the concentration of the grapes. This is the ideal climate for the cultivation of Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and French varieties such as Syrah and PetitVerdot, allowing them to develop excellent structure, great character, freshness and rich aromas.

Complex soils

The approximately 20 hectares of vineyards rest on ancient soils of southern Maremma that rose from ancestral sea beds.

The oldest soils on the estate reach an altitude of about 200 meters and mainly consist of Pliocene gravel and red earth, with a high proportion of breccia and pebbles. These soils are suitable for the best expressions of Sangiovese, and yield our structured, powerful and velvety Morellino di Scansano.

In the Albegna Valley, the soils are younger and looser, and alternate between clay, fine sands and silty red earth. These are astonishingly similar to those found in large river terroirs, where the soil conditions and the proximity to the sea allow for the planting of important international varieties, such as Petit Verdot and Syrah.