Tenuta di Arceno: Chianti Classico and Toscana IGT Wines from Jackson Family

In 1994 Jess Stonestreet Jackson and Barbara Banke purchased a one-thousand-hectare (ha) estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga near the southern tip of the Chianti Classico region.  It was not a particularly auspicious moment for Chianti Classico. Some of region’s top producers were flaunting the Consorzio’s rules and producing Sangiovese based wines without the required white wine component, and others were introducing French varietals into the blend and creating Super Tuscans. So eyebrows were raised when the Jackson Family announced its plans to plant vineyards and create a world class winery. Now, 30 years later, what are the results? I recently met with Brand Ambassador Pepe Schib Graciani to taste through the Tenuta di Arceno portfolio to answer this question.

Jackson and Banke saw the potential of this historic estate, previously owned by Montalcino’s Piccolomini family. Furthermore, they saw the winds of change in the Chianti Classico region. The Consorzio had already begun its Chianti Classico 2000 project to identify the best clones and viticultural practices for Sangiovese, and it had recently gained DOCG status, which enabled it to adopt more stringent rules to raise the quality of Chianti Classico wine. In subsequent years, growers replanted vineyards, adopted organic and sustainable growing methods, introduced a new, higher level of wine quality called the Gran Selezione, and, most recently, introduced sub-regional appellations called unita geografiche aggiuntive, or UGA for short. The results are obvious in the overall high quality of Chianti Classico wines being produced today, as confirmed by my tasting at the 2024 Tuscan Anteprima in Florence earlier this year.

The Jackson Family plan for Tenuta di Arceno began with soil studies, planting vineyards with clones matched to soils, elevations, and aspects, and asking renowned French vigneron Pierre Seillan to oversee the planting and viticulturist Michele Pezzicoli to manage the 92-ha vineyard. He introduced a micro-cru approach, creating 60 different vineyard blocks with 5-7 thousand vines/ha, each farmed and vinified separately, a practice that continues today. The size and variability of soils, elevations (350-600 meters) and microclimates allow for matching grape varieties to terroir as well as timing harvest dates to each vineyard block.

A few years later, they asked American winemaker Lawrence Cronin, experienced in making wine in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and California’s Anderson Valley to become the in-house winemaker and craft fine wines hand in hand with Seillan.  Cronin arrived at Tenuta di Arceno in 2002, just in time for the first harvest, and he continues making the wine at Tenuta di Arceno today.

Tenuta di Arceno falls within the newly established Castelnuovo Berardenga UGA, the warmest of Chianti Classico’s nine UGAs.  This region has a reputation for producing ripe, dark wines, and is prime territory for growing Bordeaux varieties, which represent half the plantings of the Tenuta. However, the high variability in elevations and growing conditions of the estate also allow for producing fresh, balanced Sangiovese, which represents the other half of the estate’s plantings. In addition, the almost 30-year continuity of the people—Cronin, Seillan, Pezzicoli—has resulted in a detailed understanding of each vineyard block and how to optimally manage, harvest and vinify its grapes.

Current production of the Tenuta di Arceno is about 30 thousand cases, but a recent expansion of the winery will increase that in future vintages. The US and Canada are the principal export markets for Tenuta di Arceno. Jackson Family Wines is the US importer. Vineyard photos courtesy of Tenuta di Arceno and Jackson Family Wines.

Credit: DRWinkler

The Wines

Tenuta di Arceno 2022 Chianti Classico ($30) 91  Medium ruby red. This annata has a fruit forward nose of red and dark red berries with light herbal and underbrush notes. There’s excellent acidity and freshness on the medium weight palate. An excellent bistro wine. A blend of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Merlot aged 10 months in used French oak barriques.  pH 3.45, 15% alc.  Tenuta di Arceno 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva ($45) 93+ The Riserva is a big step up from the annata. More savory than fruity on the nose with earthy, tobacco scents. Mouthfiling on the palate with dark plum, cherries, tea and herbal notes. Long and impressively rich finish. A blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from warmer, south-facing blocks; aged 10 months in used French oak barriques. pH 3.37, 14.1% alc.Tenuta di Arceno 2020 Strada al Sasso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castelnuovo Berardenga ($73) 95  Strada al Sasso (Stonestreet in Italian) is an elegant wine that opens with a fine perfume of flowers, fruit and mountain herbs. It’s high toned, ethereal, and well worth the money. Strada al Sasso is a selection of the best barrels from the 405m high Strada al Sasso vineyard planted in 1998 and overlooking the walled town of San Gusmé. Matured 12 months in second use French oak barriques. Sourced from the Castelnuovo Berardenga UGA, which will be listed on the labelbeginning with the 2022 vintage. Tenuta di Arceno 2021 Strada al Sasso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castelnuovo Berardenga ($75) 95  Dark ruby. Opens with aromas of elderberry, tobacco and soil, progressing to dark fruited, tea-like palate. Broad and mouth filing with dense flavors, dry tannins, and rich extract on a lingering finish. A beautiful wine. 100% Sangiovese aged 12 months in second use French oak. pH 3.37, 15% alc. Tenuta di Arceno 2021 Campolupi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castelnuovo Berardenga ($75) 94  Semi-opaque ruby.  Dark cherry, plum and a hint of sandalwood show on the nose. Lovely, silky texture with pretty, up front fruit but not as much depth as the Strada al Sasso. On the palate notes of earthy tobacco complement fresh, dark red fruit. Finishes dry. This is the inaugural release of this Gran Selezione. 95% Sangiovese and 5%Colorino sourced from 550m high estate vineyards. Matured in second use French oak barrels for 12 months. pH 3.37, 15% alc Tenuta di Arceno 2021 Il Fauno Toscana IGT ($45) 93 The Il Fauno Bordeaux blend is dark ruby red in color with aromas of cassis, plum and lavender.  A delicious, medium plus weight wine that offers refinement in the glass.  Excellent value. A blend of 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot matured up to 12 months in 50+% new French oak. pH 3.59, 15% alc. Tenuta di Arceno 2018 Valadorna Toscana IGT ($100) 94 Semi-opaque dark red.  This 100% Merlot (2018 is the first vintage to be all Merlot) is sourced from the Valadorna and Capraia vineyard blocks located in a cooler part of the estate with a stream running through it. It opens with scents of black plum, herbal spice, and a hint of blue fruit. This is a big, chewy wine that’s admirably concentrated, deeply flavored and beautifully balanced with a long, firm finish and fine tannins. 100% Merlot matured 12 months in 70% new French oak. pH 3.58, 14.5% alc. Tenuta di Arceno 2018 Arcanum Toscana IGT ($100) 96  Arcanum shows how well Cabernet Franc does in Tuscany, so well that the estate is planting more. Opens with a sauvage note of rosemary, oregano and dark berries. Copious ripe plum-like flavors on a suave palate with a peppery spiciness, firm acidity, and gorgeous balance. 100% Cabernet Franc sourced primarily from the Apparita (380m) and Belvedere (400m) parcels, the oldest Cabernet Franc vineyards of the estate (the estate has 17 ha total of Cabernet Franc in 12 blocks that all potentially contribute to to the final blend) located in the southwest part of the estate with sandy clay soils. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak.