Podere Le Ripi has 54 hectares of vineyards in Montalcino. Until 1998, the land was inhabited by a shepherd and his sheep, and not a single vine was planted. Francesco Illy has planted wine on the property from 2000 until today and grows the wine with great respect for the land. The wine is produced with organic principles and from 2010 is on its way to biodynamic production.
Francesco Illy started planting Sangiovese in 2000 with a density of the usual 5,000 roots per hectare. Acres. But in 2002, he asked himself whether a higher density would not result in fewer grape clusters per plant and thus more quality. So he reduced the distance between the rows from 2.5 meters to 2 meters and reached a density of 6,666 plants per. Acres. In 2003, he decided to try with even denser plants – five rows by one meter and one by two meters to give the tractor space to drive through. It gave a density of 11,111 per. Acres.
And in 2005, Francesco Illy decided to test the closest possible arrangement of the plants with only 40 cm between each. It gave a density of insane 62,500 per. Acres. The densest vineyard in the world. Illy chose to plant them in squares of 4 x 4 meters, with 121 plants per. Square and let his agronomists and oenologist shake his head at him.
Illy’s idea was that by planting the wine so densely, one would only force the roots to get deeper into the soil more quickly, and thus through several different soil layers, and thus the possibility of absorbing several different minerals, thus giving a better wine.
And it can be tasted. The “bonsai” wines are more subtle and elegant, but the aroma spectrum is more complex and soft.