Podere Salicutti
ポデーレ・サリクッティ
Montalcino's first organic estate, now fully biodynamic since 2022.
Founded in 1990 by Sicilian-born chemical engineer Francesco Leanza on the south-eastern slopes of Montalcino, Podere Salicutti became the region's first certified organic winery in 1996. The estate spans 11 hectares, of which only about 4.5 are planted to vineyard, at an average elevation of roughly 450 meters, alongside olive groves and woodland. In 2016, ownership passed to Felix and Sabine Eichbauer, proprietors of the Michelin-starred Tantris restaurant in Munich, who had long been clients of Leanza's wines. The Eichbauers deepened the estate's ecological commitment, converting fully to biodynamic farming and achieving certification with the exclusive respekt-BIODYN association in 2022. Only Sangiovese is grown, hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts in open-top steel vats, producing a Rosso di Montalcino and three single-vineyard Brunellos (Teatro, Piaggione, Sorgente) alongside a Riserva, with total production limited to around 15,000 bottles a year.
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Who Is This For?
For drinkers who value pure, terroir-driven Sangiovese made with minimal intervention, and who appreciate a pioneering organic and biodynamic story.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Podere Salicutti an organic winery?
- Yes. Founded in 1990 by Francesco Leanza, it became Montalcino's first certified organic estate in 1996.
- Does Podere Salicutti practice biodynamic farming?
- Yes. Since being acquired by Felix and Sabine Eichbauer in 2016, the estate transitioned fully to biodynamic viticulture and gained certification from the respekt-BIODYN association in 2022.
- Who owns Podere Salicutti today?
- Felix and Sabine Eichbauer, owners of the Michelin-starred Tantris restaurant in Munich, have owned the estate since 2016, continuing founder Francesco Leanza's organic legacy.
- What grapes does Podere Salicutti grow?
- Only Sangiovese, cultivated across three adjoining high-altitude plots — Teatro, Piaggione, and Sorgente — used for single-vineyard Brunellos, a Riserva, and a Rosso di Montalcino.
- What is the winemaking philosophy at Podere Salicutti?
- Minimal intervention: hand-harvested fruit is fermented with native yeasts in open-top steel vats and aged in neutral oak, with nothing added, removed, or corrected.