Producer Profile
About Marchesi Antinori Le Mortelle
Located on the Maremma Coast near the family’s Guado al Tasso estate in Bolgheri, Le Mortelle was once part of a larger estate called La Badiola, created in the nineteenth century when the Duchy drained the marshy areas around Grosseto. The Antinori family purchased Le Mortelle in 1999, and the estate’s name, which comes from the region’s plentiful wild myrrh, signals the family’s green commitment. Le Mortelle isn’t merely certified organic — it also sports a state-of-the-art cellar facility constructed with natural materials and erected under the earth. Built into the side of a hill, Le Mortelle’s cantina is barely visible, but its three-story structure allows for gravity to move the wine from pressing to fermentation to aging barrels, which reduces energy and treats the wine with tender loving care. Helmed by Renzo Cotarella, the Le Mortelle team crafts a range of five fine wines using both international grape varietals like Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Carménère, and Voignier, as well as Vermentino and Ansonica. While Le Mortelle’s range of wines is small, the impact is great, and it’s only a matter of time before this Antinori estate achieves the renown it deserves.
