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The “three stars” that run the Tre Stelle estate are Maria Rubicini and her two daughters, Antonella and Donatella, who in the past two decades have made quite a name for themselves, running a fully functional farm and wine estate as a team in a largely male-dominated profession. The family originally came from the Marche region to the east, but the agricultural attractions of the San Gimignano area proved too great to resist. Today, practically everything is grown at the estate: homemade pasta, luscious vine-ripened tomatoes, olive oil from their own groves, and, of course, superior Tuscan wine.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano

Le Tre Stelle specializes in the traditional wines of the San Gimignano district: the fresh, lively Vernaccia di San Gimignano, now a D.O.C.G. and definitely one of Italy's best whites; a sturdy Chianti Colli Senesi, a San Gimignano rosso, a new D.O.C. recently granted to Sangiovese-based reds grown in tandem with the whites; and two estate specialties. Many areas in Italy still grow archetypical grape varieties that, for one reason or another, are not allowed to be mixed with authorized grapes for the Denominazione di Origine Controllata. One of these is an ancient red variety known as Ciliegiolo rosso (Cosmo); it was already known in Roman times but is not to be found outside Tuscany, and very few estates bother with it anymore. But the Rubicinis do, with spectacular results; it is indeed a Super Tuscan, in quality and in caliber, and hence most be sold as an IGT Toscana. Ciliegiolo stands as a kind of intellectual curiosity, quite removed from the reference books and definitely obscure - until you try it.

Ciliegiolo rosso (Cosmo)

The second red specialty of Le Tre Stelle is a pure Merlot, called "Doanto" after the two Rubicini sisters, which because it is not a traditional Tuscan variety must also be sold as IGT Toscana. But Donatella and Antonella Rubicini seem to have mastered the art of matching this French grape to their climate and the terroir; the wine is not barrique aged and is released after its first year to keep its lovely fresh fruit. Doanto is a velvety synthesis of Merlot's primary flavors with the warmth that relates to its producing zone.

Visiting Le Tre Stelle will be a rewarding experience for any wine lover. The Rubicinis are extremely receptive hosts, with their authentic home cooking and reasonable accommodations that are very much a part of the Tuscan wine experience. In recent years they have won many awards from state and local judgings, figure extensively in the important Veronelli wine guide, and have been noted in Decanter magazine.

The farm covers a total surface of about 25 hectares, 12 of which are all vineyards. These latter belong to the farm and are located in the commune of San Gimignano at an average altitude of 180 m on the sea level and with an excellent exposure (south / south-east / south-west). The old vineyards, covering a surface of 10 hectares with an average 35-year life, are planted with local authochthonous vines such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Malvasia Nera, Malvasia Bianca, San Colombano and Trebbiano, including about 2800 vines per hectare. Only 2 hectares, that have been recently planted, are characterized by a high-density cultivation (4500 vines per hectare) with the international vine Merlot. The bottling activity has started since 2000, exceptional year because Cosmo (Ciliegiolo 100%) , the wine symbolizing the farm, was produced in pureness for the first time. In the same year the winery was renovated with the application of the cold technology and with the purchase of a new pneumatic press and of steel vats and casks.


Le Tre Stelle: www.letrestelle.com

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