BRANCAIA ESTATE BOOK
BRANCAIA
Brancaia is spread across three estates in Tuscany; two are located in Chianti Classico (in the subzones of Castellina and Radda) and another is located in the Maremma, along the Tuscan coast. Brancaia’s flagship wine - Il Blu - is a blend of fruit from the two Chianti estates, while their opulent Ilatraia bottling comes from Brancaia’s vineyards in the Maremma.
The winery was founded in 1981 in Castellina in Chianti by Swiss expats Bruno and Brigitte Widmer. They passed the winery on to their daughter, Barbara Widmer, who has also been the winemaker since 1998. Barbara has brought the estate consistent acclaim through powerful blends and principled winemaking.
Tuscany REGION
1981, in Castellina in Chianti FOUNDED
Barbara Widmer PROPRIETOR
Barbara Widmer WINEMAKER
Castellina 28 ha Radda 12 ha Maremma 40 ha VINEYARDS
Certified Organic in the EU ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPORTED PORTFOLIO
We import five wines from Brancaia; three distinct IGT wines that highlight Brancaia’s varying estate holdings and a Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva blended from high elevation parcels in Radda and Castellina.
Highlighted in the following pages is a selection of the estate’s top expressions. If you’re interested in exploring more of the portfolio, please use any of the QR codes (they can be clicked too, if you’re reading this digitally) to be guided to our website where you’ll find downloadable tech sheets, images, scores, and more.
REDS
Toscana IGT ‘Il Blu’
Toscana IGT ‘Ilatraia’
Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG
Chianti Classico DOCG
Toscana IGT ‘Tre’
IL BLU
Il Blu was first made in 1988 from Brancaia’s vineyards in Chianti Classico, a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot made in the Super Tuscan style. At the time this was still a novel idea in Chianti; in fact, it was the first such blend in the region to rely heavily on Merlot.
The wine is a blend of vineyards in Radda and Castellina, with Merlot coming exclusively from Galestro soils, 450m above sea level in Radda.
Originally, the wine was Sangiovese-based, but over the years the percentage of Merlot in the blend has increased to as much as 80% as winemaker Barbara Widmer finds increasing depth and elegance in her thirty-plus-year-old vines.
Il Blu is at once modern in its breadth and fine-grained tannins, but it maintains the structural edges and tension of the best classical wines of Chianti.
GRAPES Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon
VINEYARDS Radda hillside; Galestro (Radda) & loamy clay (Castellina); 270-450m asl; Spurred cordon
FERMENTATION Spontaneous in stainless steel
AGING 18 months in new & used barriques; 3 months in concrete after assemblage; 12 months in bottle
FINISHING Filtered & Unfined
PRODUCTION ~35,000 bottles
ILATRAIA
Ilatraia is Brancaia’s top wine from their estate in Maremma, along the sun-soaked Tuscan coast. It is the estate’s most plush and dark-fruited wine, a blend of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.
These three grapes ripen in the hot Maremma without the aid of irrigation, which is crucial for winemaker Barbara Widmer as she seeks to express the character of the estate.
Brancaia purchased their 40ha in Maremma in 1998, the same year Barbara Widmer arrived to take on her family’s business, and the same year Brancaia finally finished completion of their cellar in Radda, allowing the winery to make wine independently for the first time. 2002 marked the first vintage of Ilatraia, which shares the name with a hill on the property (likely once covered in ilatro trees).
GRAPES Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
VINEYARDS Maremma; Sand & loam; 80-180m asl; Spurred cordon
FERMENTATION Spontaneous in stainless steel
AGING 18 months in new & used barriques
FINISHING Filtered & Unfined
PRODUCTION ~40,000 bottles
Brancaia estate and winery in Maremma
CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA
A modern, plush and textured expression of Chianti Classico Riserva, made from a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot. Sourced from 30+ year old vines on Brancaia’s organically farmed estates in Radda and Castellina in Chianti.
GRAPES Sangiovese, Merlot
VINEYARDS Chianti (Radda & Castellina); sand, silt and clay soil; 29 year old vines; 250-450m asl; Spurred cordon
FERMENTATION Spontaneous in stainless steel
AGING 16 months; Sangiovese in tonneaux, Merlot in barriques
FINISHING Filtered, unfined
PRODUCTION ~40,000 bottles
CHIANTI CLASSICO
A tribute to terroir, Chianti Classico is the only Brancaia red wine made with no oak aging. The single variety wine showcases the typical ripe cherry notes of Sangiovese, as well as Brancaia’s unique estate sites in Radda and Castellina in Chianti. The wine is fermented in stainless steel before aging for 12 months in stainless steel and concrete.
GRAPES
100% Sangiovese
VINEYARDS Chianti Classico (Radda & Castellina); sand, silt and clay soil; 29 year old vines; 250-450m asl; Spurred cordon
FERMENTATION Spontaneous in stainless steel
AGING 12 months in stainless steel and concrete tanks
FINISHING Filtered, unfined
PRODUCTION ~60,000 bottles
IL TRE
A blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from Brancaia’s three organically farmed estates in Radda, Castellina, and the Maremma.
The grapes are declassified from the winery’s flagship bottlings of Ilatraia and Il Blu, and blended to bring out a fresh and characterful entry point to the portfolio. The finished wine is aged for a year in cask and concrete tanks.
GRAPES Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon VINEYARDS Chianti Classico & Maremma; sandy, loamy soil; 29 year old vines; 250-450m asl; Spurred cordon
FERMENTATION Spontaneous in stainless steel
AGING 12 months in a combination of concrete tank and tonneaux
FINISHING Filtered, unfined
PRODUCTION ~122,000 bottles
