History
Tua Rita was founded in 1984 by Rita Tua and her husband Virgilio Bisti in Suvereto, a small medieval town in the Tuscan province of Livorno. Initially, they bought two hectares of land with modest intentions, planting Cabernet and Merlot vines. The couple aimed to work the land naturally and enjoy the fruits of their labor themselves, without expecting to become a prominent name in the fine wine business.
The first vintage, a Bordeaux-style wine called Giusto di Notri, was released in 1992. Despite slow initial progress, Tua Rita quickly gained a prestigious reputation for its rich, full-bodied reds. The 2000 Redigaffi, a 100% Merlot, became the first Italian wine to receive a 100-point score from Robert Parker, catapulting the winery to international acclaim.
After Virgilio's passing in 2010, management of the estate passed to their daughter Simena and her husband Stefano Frascolla, with their son Giovanni becoming increasingly involved. The winery continues to focus on quality over quantity, producing around 300,000 bottles annually from 57 hectares of vineyard. The family's commitment to artisanal winemaking and their love for the land have maintained Tua Rita's reputation as one of Italy's most exceptional craft winemakers.
Terroir
Tua Rita is situated in the northern Maremma region of Tuscany, near Livorno, and just within view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The estate is located in the verdant Val di Cornia, an area renowned for its Super-Tuscan wines. The vineyards range from 330 to 1,250 feet (100–380 meters) above sea level, with clay and calcareous soils that are drier and less fertile than those in Bolgheri. These soils give structure to the wines, contributing to their distinctive flavor profiles.
The terroir is further characterized by its unique combination of silt and clay soils, which yield an unmistakable style to the wines. The iron-like nuances and intensely savory progression in the mouth, along with a distinctive saline character, are hallmarks of Tua Rita's wines. The estate's vineyards are planted at a density of 8-9,000 vines per hectare, with the newer vineyards being planted with climate change in mind, featuring narrower rows and wider spacing within the row, and a lower density overall at 5,500 vines per hectare.
