Tenuta Licinia
Rediscovering historic clos vineyards with specific subsoils
Whenever an email from Studio Cru—a wine and high-end gastronomy PR agency I’ve had the pleasure of working with for a few years now—pops up in my inbox, I open it in delicious anticipation, knowing my wine horizons are going to be broadened and my palate delighted. Through their online tastings and always beautifully curated wine trips, I’ve had the chance to discover some of Italy’s viticultural gems, and each time, it isn’t only the wines that leave an impression. The most fascinating part of these tastings is meeting dedicated winemakers and discovering how they craft their wines with passion and precision, translating their unique philosophies and techniques into every bottle. A recent tasting with James Marshall-Lockyer of Tenuta Licinia, was no exception. This young and talented philosopher-turned-pioneering winemaker decided to continue the work his grandfather had started and is making aromatically expressive wines that emphasize the vital interplay between subsoils and vines.
Together with two other wine journalists, I joined in to discover more about Tenuta Licinia. The small winery’s story is one of new beginnings, authenticity and sound ecological practices. It started in the 1970s when Belgian lawyer Jacques de Liederkerke bought an abandoned farmhouse in Tuscany (about five kilometers northwest of the medieval village of Lucignano, to be precise) that came with a small vineyard. Though fond of wines, Jacques didn’t immediately seize the opportunity to restore life back to this overlooked plot. (Side note: the area’s winemaking tradition dates back to Estruscan times, but the production of fine wines largely disappeared in the 20th century.)
It wasn’t until after his retirement in the early 2000s that Jacques embarked on this new venture. But it would take nearly 20 years of trials and research, however, to begin to rediscover the long-forgotten viticultural potential. By 2019, when the wines finally began to exhibit the vineyard’s identity, Jacques fell ill. It was then that his grandson, James, who was studying for his doctorate at Oxford University, decided to take over. After the following year’s harvest, James bottled the 2019 vintage, shortening the aging and placing more emphasis on the specific subsoil in the blending. Fortunately, Jacques was able to taste and appreciate the first cru—the Cabernet Sauvignon-based Sasso di Fata—before he passed away in 2022.
James considers this vintage a prototype. It would take another two years to make a wine that would express the full identity of the vineyard in three ways: darker, floral (rose) aromas; a savory, graphite salinity; and fine-grained, velvety tannins. Unlike traditional Tuscan wines, Sasso di Fata embraces a less extracted winemaking approach to preserve primary aromatics. The Sasso di Fata vineyard (the name, quite poetically, means ‘fairy stone’ in Italian) spans 3.5 hectares and sits atop a galestro clay schist subsoil (the yellow color is derived from the calcium in the soil) topped with a thin layer of clayish loam. (Note that the 2021 vintage has not yet been released.)
James’ approach focuses on seeking out small, overlooked vineyards with world-class potential situated across a 30km radius. “Most of the research that I’ve been doing in the last few years has been on understanding subsoils,” he explains. “All our labels are single-vineyard wines that reflect the particular plots we identify. ” After visiting roughly four hundred vineyards in his quest to understand the essence of the regional subsoils, so far, he has recovered two, though negotiations for another are underway. Montalceto, a plot acquired in 2022, was planted with Sangiovese. The first vintage was 2023, with a production of 3,000 bottles.
During the tasting, we also tried the Montepolli 2019 and 2022. The 3.5-hectare plot is planted on clay limestone and sits at an altitude of 360 meters. The wines are a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The production is 7,000-8,000 bottles.
At the heart of Tenuta Licinia’s winemaking ethos lies a deep commitment to ecological preservation and sustainability, which resonates with my desire to make conscious choices that safeguard the future of our planet. Embracing biodynamic practices and organic certification, the winery strives to maintain harmony between vineyard and ecosystem. From introducing bees to maintaining wildlife access, every effort is made to nurture the land and its inhabitants.
One of the things I so much appreciate about wine is how it can reflect the unique characteristics of its origins. With their expressive aromatics, dynamic palate and unmistakable sense of place, these sophisticated, compelling wines are definitely ones to look out for. In the Netherlands, you can find the wines via Aventura Wines.
