BIOGRAPHY - Alessio Carli

Alessio brings a rare blend of traditional Italian expertise and modern California sensibility to his winemaking at Pietra Santa.

A native of Siena, Italy, Carli first became interested in wine watching his father make Chianti at home. He decided to work in agriculture and attended the Instituto Agrario in Siena where he earned his Agronomy degree in 1982. After a short internship at a local wine cooperative, he spent two years as winemaker for Fattoria Il Castagno where he supervised production of both wine and olive oil.

Now firmly committed to a winemaking career, he returned to college to complete his education, receiving a graduate degree in enology in 1987. He went on to become Assistant Winemaker at Badia a Coltibuono, one of Tuscany's most famous Chianti estates.

In 1990, Alessio came to the United States to oversee winemaking at Viansa Winery in Sonoma County. He launched their Sangiovese program and helped develop the winery's Italian wine portfolio. From 1991 to 1998 Carli consulted with several wineries in Napa and Sonoma as well as Pietra Santa. With a partner, Alessio also started up operations of the Olive Press in Glen Ellen, Sonoma and managed olive oil production there for a few years.

In 1998, Alessio chose to work exclusively for Pietra Santa where he was instrumental in the planning and construction of the new winery and olive oil facility. In addition to supervising the estate's winemaking since the inaugural vintage in 1991, Carli has helped define the winemaking philosophy for Pietra Santa. As he describes, "My goal for Pietra Santa is simple; bring out the best in the grapes. To achieve that goal, I keep each vineyard lot separate, age the young wines in seasoned barrels to limit oak characters and create the final blends just prior to bottling. I respect the complexity of the fruit and avoid burying it under too much technique, so the wines showcase the unique character of the Pietra Santa vineyard."

In addition to winemaking, Carli continues his native Tuscan tradition by making the olive oils for Pietra Santa. He oversaw the construction of the dedicated olive oil pressing room and the installation of the Pieralisi press. Here he produces Olivita, our Extra Virgin olive oil made from five varieties of estate grown olives, and supervises custom crushing for other growers.

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