About Sancaba

Sancaba was born from the passion of Carlo Franchetti, cousin of famed Tuscan and Sicilian winemaking genius Andrea Franchetti. His mission was to create an exceptional, world-class Pinot Noir wine from the unique soils of Tuscany. In 2011 Carlo acquired some land near the town of San Casciano dei Bagni, in a wild, remote part of Tuscany, close to the border with Umbria and Lazio, where he discovered a small vineyard of pinot noir planted by the previous owner.

The area is surrounded by the high peaks of Mt. Cetona, Amiata and Rufeno, which create a mountain climate with constant cool wind supply and substantial temperature excursions between day and night. The high elevation between 650m and 750m ensures that summer days are never too hot and nights are always cool — perfect for pinot noir. The soil conditions vary from parcel to parcel with a predominance of Galestro (flaky calcareous clay famed in Tuscany) and Alberese rock (hard limestone) but also patches of alluvial soil (mix of sandy clay and sandstone) near the river beds.

He fell in love with this place and saw promise in the vineyard and its minute crop of small-clustered pinot noir grapes, so in 2012 he made the first vintage, entirely homemade, a wine of great character and potential. In 2013, encouraged by Andrea Franchetti, Carlo decided to plant more pinot noir in a high-density planting scheme (8000 plants/HA) using clones from Burgundy. In the beginning, the winemaking was conducted at Tenuta di Trinoro in a joint effort with Andrea Franchetti, and a rich style pinot noir was made there until 2020.

In 2021 with Andrea’s passing, the winemaking was brought back to the estate in the newly restored winery, and under Carlo’s direction a lighter, traditional Burgundian style was introduced. The result is a Pinot Noir that proudly represents the Franchetti family’s reputation for quality, complexity and ageability, and one that is increasingly recognized as among the very best made in all of Italy.