Tenuta Marino
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- Since 2017
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Tenuta Marino now resides in what was once an old family farm producing cereals and grains dating back to the 1800's. The land has been farmed since Roman times and is still considered as part of the historical Lands of Frattula - the monk-ran agricultural lands of the papal state. The Marches borders five different territories including Emilia Romagna to the North, Abruzzo to the South, and Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio to the West. The peaceful region is visited for its spectacular hilly landscapes, sandy beaches, fortified medieval towns and hilltop monasteries and castles. The Tenuta Marino estate is located in the town of Monterado, within the province of Ancona, the region's capital city nestled in the low-lying hills behind the Adriatic Sea.
The eight-hectare parcel of land was first purchased in 1997 by the Swiss born Otto Schlegel, who named the estate “Azienda La Maddalena” after his wife. The land was cleared and prepped for a new vineyard and two years later, in 1999, two hectares of Sangiovese and Montepulciano were planted. The following year, an additional two hectares of land were planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Blanc. In total, there were 17,000 vines planted at a density of a little over 4,000 vines per hectare. Among the wines the area produces are the DOC varieties Rosso Piceno and Rosso Conero, two Sangiovese / Montepulciano red wines, as well as the white varieties, Verdicchio di Castello di Jesi and Bianchello del Metauro. Due to geographical boundaries (the estate is located only within the Rosso Piceno DOC) the previous owners set out to create Bordeaux style IGT blends.
The vineyard faces north-west and has an altitude ranging from 80-120 meters above sea level. The soil is predominantly calcareous clay, rich with Adriatic silt and sand due to the proximity to the coast. As the Azienda La Maddalena project took hold, the vines were trained using a single cordon system, pruned for low yields of high quality. A brand new, modern wine making facility was built from the ground up to accommodate all aspects of production in house, fitted with top-of the line steel tanks, pneumatic press, bottling line and a barrel cellar capable of aging 200 hectoliters of wine. While the passion project of the previous owners was an interesting way to follow into semi-retirement, the reality of maintaining the vineyard was too much to handle and the vineyard was placed for sale in late 2016. When Marjorie and Christopher Marino, two hospitality industry experts, learned of the opportunity to put new roots in their historical homeland of Italy, paired with their desire to produce the highest quality wines in the region, they acquired the estate in 2017 and renamed it Tenuta Marino di Monterado.
Along with the vineyard, there is also the family villa, a fruit and walnut grove, and a two-hectare olive grove, producing a Mignola mono-cultivar and blended extra virgin olive oils of the highest quality. Once settled, the Marino family went right to work, quickly moving to organic farming practices within the vineyard for a greener footprint on the land in which they also inhabit with their two young children. A new half-hectare small vineyard of Chardonnay was planted, using a Piemontese lateral terracing style with western exposure. These grapes will combine with the Pinot Bianco to increase the quality and add depth to the sparkling wine. The pruning methods of the previous owners were altered greatly, going from a haphazard growth system to a finely trained 4x2 spur system with great benefit, returning vigor to the vines as well as increasing yields and quality at the same time. Green pruning was done twice through the season, all by hand.
During harvest season, the grapes are collected by hand in small crates, and delivered immediately to the winery for processing. At 20 years of age, the vines are reaching a sweet spot as far as quality is concerned, and the improved pruning has made an immediate impact to ensure healthy and vivacious plants. In the winter season, cover crops are seeded to slow down erosion of the clay soil, increase the soil fertility and help maintain water retention throughout the rest of the year. The small team of five takes every effort to ensure the vines are impeccably cared for and this shows in the 2018 vintage, the first produced by Tenuta Marino.
Changes were also made within the winery itself. Three new 80hl stainless steel tanks were purchased as well as three new large wooden barrels. Through extensive research, master craftsman Marc Grenier was selected to create these 15 & 30hl casks, using the finest French oak available. The new oak will be used to age portions of the current vintage while the older barrels will hold the second turn of our reserve selections and parts of the current Sangiovese, which excels in older large wooden barrels. A newly integrated bottling room was created, which lead to doubling the size of the wine storage facility. 20 new pupitres were purchased, allowing for the hand riddling of an increased amount of sparkling wine. Making green choices is of importance to the owners, so not only did they decrease their carbon footprint in the vineyard, but also did their part within the winery. Using plant based sustainable corks and recycled packaging materials was the first step, as well as using recycled paper for all the office materials and branded materials and stationery. Most significant though, was the move away from any chemical practices used in the wine making itself.
The future looks bright for the Tenuta Marino family and producing the best wines in Le Marche will shortly be in reach.
The eight-hectare parcel of land was first purchased in 1997 by the Swiss born Otto Schlegel, who named the estate “Azienda La Maddalena” after his wife. The land was cleared and prepped for a new vineyard and two years later, in 1999, two hectares of Sangiovese and Montepulciano were planted. The following year, an additional two hectares of land were planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Blanc. In total, there were 17,000 vines planted at a density of a little over 4,000 vines per hectare. Among the wines the area produces are the DOC varieties Rosso Piceno and Rosso Conero, two Sangiovese / Montepulciano red wines, as well as the white varieties, Verdicchio di Castello di Jesi and Bianchello del Metauro. Due to geographical boundaries (the estate is located only within the Rosso Piceno DOC) the previous owners set out to create Bordeaux style IGT blends.
The vineyard faces north-west and has an altitude ranging from 80-120 meters above sea level. The soil is predominantly calcareous clay, rich with Adriatic silt and sand due to the proximity to the coast. As the Azienda La Maddalena project took hold, the vines were trained using a single cordon system, pruned for low yields of high quality. A brand new, modern wine making facility was built from the ground up to accommodate all aspects of production in house, fitted with top-of the line steel tanks, pneumatic press, bottling line and a barrel cellar capable of aging 200 hectoliters of wine. While the passion project of the previous owners was an interesting way to follow into semi-retirement, the reality of maintaining the vineyard was too much to handle and the vineyard was placed for sale in late 2016. When Marjorie and Christopher Marino, two hospitality industry experts, learned of the opportunity to put new roots in their historical homeland of Italy, paired with their desire to produce the highest quality wines in the region, they acquired the estate in 2017 and renamed it Tenuta Marino di Monterado.
Along with the vineyard, there is also the family villa, a fruit and walnut grove, and a two-hectare olive grove, producing a Mignola mono-cultivar and blended extra virgin olive oils of the highest quality. Once settled, the Marino family went right to work, quickly moving to organic farming practices within the vineyard for a greener footprint on the land in which they also inhabit with their two young children. A new half-hectare small vineyard of Chardonnay was planted, using a Piemontese lateral terracing style with western exposure. These grapes will combine with the Pinot Bianco to increase the quality and add depth to the sparkling wine. The pruning methods of the previous owners were altered greatly, going from a haphazard growth system to a finely trained 4x2 spur system with great benefit, returning vigor to the vines as well as increasing yields and quality at the same time. Green pruning was done twice through the season, all by hand.
During harvest season, the grapes are collected by hand in small crates, and delivered immediately to the winery for processing. At 20 years of age, the vines are reaching a sweet spot as far as quality is concerned, and the improved pruning has made an immediate impact to ensure healthy and vivacious plants. In the winter season, cover crops are seeded to slow down erosion of the clay soil, increase the soil fertility and help maintain water retention throughout the rest of the year. The small team of five takes every effort to ensure the vines are impeccably cared for and this shows in the 2018 vintage, the first produced by Tenuta Marino.
Changes were also made within the winery itself. Three new 80hl stainless steel tanks were purchased as well as three new large wooden barrels. Through extensive research, master craftsman Marc Grenier was selected to create these 15 & 30hl casks, using the finest French oak available. The new oak will be used to age portions of the current vintage while the older barrels will hold the second turn of our reserve selections and parts of the current Sangiovese, which excels in older large wooden barrels. A newly integrated bottling room was created, which lead to doubling the size of the wine storage facility. 20 new pupitres were purchased, allowing for the hand riddling of an increased amount of sparkling wine. Making green choices is of importance to the owners, so not only did they decrease their carbon footprint in the vineyard, but also did their part within the winery. Using plant based sustainable corks and recycled packaging materials was the first step, as well as using recycled paper for all the office materials and branded materials and stationery. Most significant though, was the move away from any chemical practices used in the wine making itself.
The future looks bright for the Tenuta Marino family and producing the best wines in Le Marche will shortly be in reach.
