Muschi Alti Winery
Immersed in the silence of the Maremma countryside and embraced by the River Ombrone, Muschi Alti is located along the famous “Strada del vino Montecucco“, a few kilometres from ancient villages full of atmosphere and rich in history. South of our estate, the castle of Istia d’Ombrone dominates the right bank of the homonymous river, which was an important hub of the Etruscan-Roman road network. Further north, surrounded by natural wonders, the charming fortified town of Campagnatico enshrines treasures of medieval art in the maze of alleys and lanes of its famous historic centre. And on the western hills that once dominated the Lake Prile, the splendid ruins of the city of Roselle are a window onto a glorious past, and a natural setting of extraordinary beauty. Here wine was produced over three millennia ago; here – in a property once owned by the noble Sienese Tolomei family – Muschi Alti Winery carries on this ancient tradition today. The farmstead became property of the Ottonelli family in 1997; the following year new olive groves and new vineyards were planted. In 1998 Montecucco was established as a DOC, and Silvestro and Alberto Ottonelli began to work hard for their first wine production. In 2002 Muschi Alti Montecucco DOC was released: a great red with good structure obtained from Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Respecting Ancient Traditions of
Winemaking
The tale of Muschi Alti begins in 1997 when the Ottonelli family acquires the land in the DOC Montecucco production area. The farmstead has been accurately restored according to the distinct building style of Tuscan farmhouses, while in the newly renovated cellar wine is produced respecting the ancient traditions of winemaking.
Establishment
Montecucco DOC creation
First wine
Our vineyards
Today Muschi Alti produces its wines from spur-pruned Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Vermentino, Alicante, and Bouschet grapevines.
The shallow, skeleton-rich and clay soils of the territory are hard to manage, but create irreplaceable conditions for creating good wines, particularly those obtained from red grapes, whose aromas, levels of pigmentation, roundness and durability are wonderfully enhanced by the nature of terroir. In addition, the south-west orientation of vineyard rows and the day-to-night temperature fluctuation during the summer and autumn period play a key role in grape ripening and in a well-balanced acid and sugar concentration. Muschi Alti planted the first 4 hectares of its Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in 1998. Later, Cabernet Franc was added; today Merlot, Syrah, Vermentino, Alicante, and Bouschet grapes ripen on 3 additional hectares of spur-pruned grapevines.
Geography
Southern exposure is set on the Muschi Alti Winery located at about 250 mt AMSL.
Climate
Mostly mild in Winter with Summer peak temperatures hitting 38/40 °C.
Soil
Sandy-skeletal soil, ideal for olive groves and grapevines growing.
Wine-making process
Manual harvesting, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel vats, refining and ageing process in bottles, barriques or oak tanneaux.
Our cellar
We produce 20,000 bottles of wine per year, 6,000 of which are Montecucco rosso DOC.
The cellar is the heart and soul of our winery. Here, on an area of about 200 square meters, 20,000 bottles of wine are produced every year,6,000 of which are Montecucco rosso DOC, one of the youngest and most promising DOCs in Tuscany. Between the last week of August and the first two weeks of September we start hand harvesting the light-skinned Vermentino grapes for our Orbaco white, the red-berried Sangiovese for Rosamunda rosé as well as the early red grape varieties such as Merlot. The harvest continues until mid October with Sangiovese for red wines, Syrah, Alicante, and Bouschet and finishes off with the last crates of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The de-stemmed and crushed grapes are then left to ferment at a constant temperature of 27 °C in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats before each wine begins its own refinement and ageing process in bottles, barriques or oak tanneaux.
Wine tasting and tours
It is possible to organize tasting tours of our wines in the cellar at the request of the customer.
Are you curious about the secret behind wine production? Do you want to learn the winemaking philosophy of the Ottonelli family and all wine production stages from harvesting to bottling and ageing? Pay a visit to Muschi Alti and challenge your taste buds with a tasting experience of some of the best wines of Maremma. The itinerary consists of a guided tour of our vineyards, followed by a tutored tasting of our range of red, rosé and white wines. Each tour takes approximately 1hr 45mins. Booking in advance is required.
The olive grove
Muschi Alti grows its olive trees on 8.5 hectares of low hill land
Despite the wide landscape variety of the province of Grosseto, the presence of olive trees on its rolling hills, in the Maremma plains, and on the slopes of Mount Amiata testifies to the economic and social importance that this crop has had since the Etruscan period, when oil was mainly used for votive offerings, lighting, and in the preparation of ointments. Today olive groves not only make the most of the land on which they are grown, but they also play a key role in the preservation of agricultural landscapes with distinct orographic, climatic and productive characteristics. The variety of cultivars – primarily Frantoio, Moraiolo and Leccino – the different age of the plants, and the type of agronomic management ensure the preservation of the delicate balance between the naturalness of the environment and the degree of human intervention on the territory. Muschi Alti produces its Frantoio, Moraiolo and Leccino olives on 8.5 hectares of low hill land to offer just another pearl of Tuscan flavours: the extra virgin olive oil. Around the middle of October olives are hand-picked, selected, delivered to our trusted oil mill , and cold pressed within hours after harvest. The result is an oil characterised by a brilliant and intense green colour with glints of gold, intense fruitiness, very low acidity, and bitter and spicy notes due to the natural richness in polyphenols, the very precious antioxidant components that characterize extra virgin olive oils of excellent quality. Our oil can be bought directly from our farm.
