Fattoria Dianella Orpicchio Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy

The Wine

First, the Grape! Yes, the grape is called Orpicchio (oar PEEKEE yoh), a very rare and ancient grape, a biotype of Trebbiano.

Tasting Notes: Straw yellow in the glass, with generous aromas of pear, citrus blossoms, almond, fennel, and a gentle herbal note. Medium‑bodied with lively acidity, a subtle waxy texture, and a clean, mineral finish. Fermented in stainless steel; aged briefly on fine lees in stainless and concrete to preserve freshness and enhance texture.  Alcohol: ~13%

Orpicchio is sourced from estate vineyards near Vinci (the home of Leonardo) planted on sandy clay and ancient marine deposits that give the wine its saline edge. The 2022 vintage was warm but moderated by hillside breezes, allowing slow, even ripening. Grapes are hand‑harvested and pressed gently. Production is very limited, typically 1,000–1,500 cases due to the rarity of the variety.

Pairings: Seafood pasta, grilled vegetables, Tuscan white bean dishes; cheeses like Pecorino Toscano, Robiola, or young Asiago.

More thoughts on this wine: I love to secretly pour top-tier Italian whites for wine lovers who claim "I only drink white Burgundy" so I can watch them realize in real time what they've been missing. In that spirit, we're thrilled to welcome one of the rarest and most lauded of Italian white wines.

This is "Orpicchio", Dianella's wine that was awarded three consecutive Tre Bicchieri awards. The wine is highly allocated and very expensive elsewhere, but we're keeping the price quite reasonable, given the crowd this wine runs with. Each year, Dianella individually hand-bottles, hand-waxes, and hand-numbers less than 170 cases of "Orpicchio", from the family's oldest, smallest single vineyard planted to a nearly extinct sub variety of Trebbiano (also called  "Orpicchio").

The wine is a profound, luxurious white wine possessing remarkable citrus tension and almost overwhelming limestone minerality. Still, the wine's super refined stone fruit/white blossom aromatics are uniquely Tuscan - and a clear indicator that every tiny decision and detail in the vineyard and cellar were executed with skill, precision, and perfection. It's a masterful wine. 

It's a wine you will always see on well curated restaurant lists when visiting Italy, and this year only 15 cases have made it to the US!  We have just two of those 15 cases. 

The Winery

I've been running on about this wine, so I've edited this section to the basics! Fattoria Dianella dates to the 16th century and has been restored by the Billeri family, who revived forgotten local varieties such as Orpicchio. The estate farms organically, using cover crops, composting, and reduced‑tillage practices. Solar power supports winery operations, and water is recycled through a closed‑loop system. Winemaker Francesco Bartoletti focuses on freshness, authenticity, and minimal intervention.