A lot of Americans know Tuscany but I've found that when it comes to the towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano they all kind of blur together. "Isn't that a grape?" they ask. Yes but it's also a famous Tuscany city but they don't grow Montepulciano there, they grow their local version of Sangiovese Grosso which they, like Montalcino with their "Brunello" call "Prugnolo Gentile." It's a little confusing but after you get it down you don't forget.  Montepulciano, like Montalcino is a fortified medieval hillside town. During the Renaissance, they were rival commercial centers much like the Charlotte and Raleigh's obsession to out do it. Montalcino was a bit more rustic being under the influence of Siena while Montepulciano, under the political sway of Florence flourished with many grand buildings and a booming trade business. The local wine, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or "Noble Wine" of Montepulciano was considered the best wine in Tuscany. It wasn't until the 1950s with the emergence of Biondi-Sante did Brunello di Montalcino take center stage. For hundreds of years Vino Noble was the star. With a new star in town, Vino Nobile withdrew the the sidelines while Brunello has basked in the attention of the wine world. Personally I have always found Vino Nobile every bit the equal of Brunello with the added advantage of being more reasonably priced. This is the political undercurrent that exists between the two towns.

 Aafter having breakfast and spending an hour on the phone with my credit card company reassuring them that I was indeed in Italy and had authorized the previous night's purchases, we set of for Montepulciano. The town lies about an hour's drive east of Montalcino across the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  Diving down from Le Ragnaie I noticed a group of hikers making their way south. Riccardo had told me that this was the old pilgrimage route to Rome. For thousands of years the devout have followed it from northern Europe to the Vatican and Montalcino was on that route. Amazing. We were originally planning on stopping in Pienza, the home of Pecorino cheese but the trouble with the credit card made that impossible. Maybe next trip? After miles and miles of rolling hills with an occasional hilltop villa the town of Montepulciano loomed in the distance. Like Montalcino, it is a spectacular sight  and looking at it I got a sense of what an imposing sight it must have been for travelers coming there during the Middle Ages.  Cantina Dei is one of the leading wineries in Vino Nobile and Caterina Dei is it's owner. Originally bought by her grandfather in 1964, it was the summer get away for the family who had made their fortune in the travertine business. I also learned that her brother was the force behind that Aqua de Tuscany  mineral water that we had encountered in every restaurant in Tuscany. With the marble and water business sewn up the Dei family was free to devote their attention to the winery. Caterina, being the artistic member of the family (before running the winery she was a talented singer and actress) was naturally was drawn to wine and took over the winery in 1991. When we arrived at the winery, Caterina was in the midst of building a new winery, shaped like an amphitheater and built into the side of the hill, gravity feed no less. She took us on a tour of the existing winery (the floors covered in travertine) and a sampling of all the wines and grappa that Dei produces, including one of the best Vin Santos I have ever tasted. She was a cordial host and again very down to Earth and real. We pour her Vino Nobile by the glass at the shop and she's even visited me there. It was very satisfying to visit her home and see where the wine we all enjoy has it's birth. It was getting late and we had dinner plans back in Montalcino so we said our goodbyes, promising to meet again when Caterina comes to the States. As we drove away from Montepulciano the fog was beginning to settle in the valleys. It was such a beautiful sight, I made a note to myself that I should come back and spend more time in Montepulciano...

After a fantastic meal at the Taverna di Barbi with Riccardo (Jenny had to  be in Florence for a meeting early the next morning) that night we set out for the last stop of our journey, to Le Calle in the Maremma with a short Friday morning detour to Sassicaia in Bolgheri on the Tuscan Coast. Le Calle is only about an hour south of Montalcino but with delays in getting an appointment at Sassicaia (they don't take visitors during the harvest (Sept - Oct) Friday was the only day they could see us. When you get an appointment at Sassicaia you take it. So we packed our luggage and drove west toward Grosseto and up the Tuscan Coast. As we drove towards the coast the land opened up and the rolling hills gave way to rolling plains. We were on the autostrada and diving was fairly straightforward for the first time since we arrived. As we passed through the tunnels separating the Maremma plains from the coastline and the Gulf of Follonica, beautiful maritime trees lined the shoreline and in the distance, the island of Elba appeared.  In awe I was amazed how close it was the Italian coast. Surely Napoleon could have easily escaped if had really wanted to? We turned north and drove north towards Sassicaia.

     We weren't really sure where the winery was located but we Riccardo told us to drive into the town of Bolgheri ask anyone, even the dogs, and we would find it. Perhaps yes if our Italian was a little better but after  a couple wrong turns and getting scolded by a nun we reached Tenuta San Guido and the  Cantina Sassicaia about 20 minutes late. We were greeted by winemaker and son of Nicolň Incisa, Sebastiano Rosa. A tall handsome man with an easygoing personality, Sebastiano got his education in California at UC-Davis and worked for years at Argiano in Montalcino before taking the helm at the family winery (He told us his father wanted him to make his mistakes in Montalcino instead of Sassicaia. Tenuta San Guido is a streamlined modern winery with an understated simplicity. The building where the fermentation takes place (the old winery) is very basic with no special equipment of finery. It's a testament to the power of place to create a wine that is special and unique and a reflection of the winery's dedication to produce great Bordeaux styled wine. (Sassicaia is the only winery in Italy to possess it's own DOCG.) The tasting room is also home to the barrel storage. ( No cellars on the  Tuscan coast.)We tasted through vintages of Sassicaia and Guidalberto, it's baby brother and before we knew it, it was over. Although Sassicaia is a great wine I was struck by how unimpressed I was. I don't think it was so much a reflection on Sassicaia as it was a testament to how good the wines of our friends are. Something in me had changed on this trip and Bolgheri was the watermark of that change. Great wine can be made anywhere that the land allows for it and no amount of money  or technology can buy that. The people of Sassicaia understand that better than anyone which is the reason their winery is basic and straightforward. It's a testament to the power the land holds over us. Great wine is made by place and by people who understand and respect that reality. (Our visit  to Le Calle would soon solidify that in me forever.) Before leaving we ate lunch in Bolgheri at a charming outdoor Osteria before journeying back in to the interior of Tuscany. The restaurant's owner was charming and lively man who enjoyed himself immensely  as you can clearly see here. We knew that if we got lost we'd be driving in the dark in middle of nowhere so the drive back was beautiful but filled with an underlying tension an sense of urgency. After a "shortcut " through the winding countryside we were even further behind. After a couple hours we finally saw signs to Paganico, the closest town near Le Calle. With one gate in and one gate out we were through the town in a few minutes. Next landmark - the sleepy village of Sasso d' Ombrone. A strategic point in Medieval times due to the Ombrone River that passed through it, the tow's former importance was now a shady memory. Like something from one of Fellini's films, at the turn in road that led through town was a long bench with several old men sitting and talking. At the other end of the bench were the old women having their conversation. Later passing back through town we would see the same group the next day. If I could go there today the same people would be there I believe. As we passed out of the town a sign for the DOC Montecucco and Strada de Vini or "wine road" confirmed that we were heading in the right direction. The hill began to climb and I was reminded of the hills of Chianti earlier in the week. Suddenly a majestic panorama opened up before us and I knew we were in a very special place. The roads narrowed and soon we were in Poggio del Sasso, a tiny hamlet near Le Calle. A left turn at the church and a sign for "La Cava" or cellar and then a dirt road with vineyards surrounding us. We stopped at the first house we came to to ask directions. It was a small stone and mortar structure and there was a group of women and children outside. I asked if they knew the direction of Le Calle. A small woman with short cropped hair approached and confirmed that this was indeed Le Calle. It was Savina, the woman I had been corresponding with for several months. She was watching the children of the workers that were in the vineyard harvesting Sangiovese. Again we had arrived right at the peak of harvest. Happy to have actually found the winery a sense of relief washed over everyone. I was struck by the fact that she was genuinely happy to see us. Riccardo, her soul mate and partner (they were never married) was still in the vineyards and would be until sunset. There's no messing around when harvest time comes. Savina grabbed her SUV and asked us to follow her to the farmhouse that that we had reserved about 2k from the winery. We had all fallen in love with this quaint picturesque dwelling after viewing it on the Le Calle website. There were also two cottages beside the winery but this place was irresistible. By the way  Please check them out at this IP address. http://www.lecalle.it/ What we didn't realize was that to get to it we had to dive down an old washed out dirt road with switchbacks and hairpin turns. It was like a scene out of "Deliverance" and I seriously doubted our poor Fiat's ability to get back up the hill. I thought I heard faint banjo music in the distance (or was it a mandolin?) After what seemed like an eternity we reached farmhouse. It was as charming as we had imagined it would be. Bottles of Le Calle were waiting for us on the kitchen table.  On the way out we met Sinibaldo, Riccardo's 83 year old father who was locking the sheep away for the evening. I was able to communicate with my IPhone Italian translator app but I still don't know how well...
Savina had made plans for us to join them for dinner that evening so we unpacked, freshened up and made our way back up the hill.  I was worried about getting stuck so I kept an constant speed in second gear up the bumpy road. Not as bad as the drive down.When we reached Le Calle Riccardo Catocci was cleaning up the cellar from the day's harvest. The cellar is located in the basement below the family's home. There are large Slovenian  barrels lining the walls. Riccardo pulled a sample of the Malvasia that had been fermenting for two weeks. The pale murky liquid in our glass was bursting with primary fruit aromas and I tried to imagine what lay ahead. After a short tour of the cellar we made our way upstairs. Savina had prepared a slow roasted lamb (from the farm) for dinner. We started out  the meal with cured meats that Riccardo had made and  assorted Tuscan cheeses. A German couple who had driven 16 hours from Cologne to visit Le Calle joined us as well. The food was great of course and despite our lack of language skills, the evening went very well, finishing with you guessed it, Le Calle Grappa. This was such a beautiful moment for me. Sharing a meal with the winemakers in their home. All of the wines coming from the vineyards just outside the house. Good friends and good times. As we made our way back down the valley that night the moon was full and lit up the valley below. It was too beautiful for words! I thought too myself how lucky I was and how I would do my damndest to never lose that feeling....

The next day we decided to make a day trip up to Siena since we had bypassed it in our haste to get to Le Ragnaie earlier in the week. It was about an hour and a half north of Le Calle. For many people Siena is the quintessential Tuscan city and I found it quite charming but after our stays in Montalcino and Montecucco, I just could not bring myself to fall for it's charms. Today much smaller than Florence, Siena is picturesque with it's cathedral and Piazza del Campo or "central square." When we arrived at the square they were setting up for a celebration dinner for the winner of The Palio, the horse race that has been held twice a year in Siena since the Renaissance. Very busy place with no shortage of outdoor restaurants for the tourists. Even then the food was good. We spent a few more hours wandering the city before heading back to Le Calle. On the drive back we passed a village called Civitella Marittima which looked much more intriguing. I later read it had a population of 350 people. Thinking back we should have detoured but it was getting late and we had dinner plans again with the Catoccis that evening. We said goodbye to Siena knowing that we'd be back some day to explore further. When we got back to the farmhouse I realized that I should probably get some gas for our Sunday drive to Pisa. I knew the gas stations would be closed on Sunday. While the Inskos took a walk around the countryside, Mina and I drove to Paganico to look for fuel. The station attendants had already left for the evening and the pumps were self service. Seemed simple enough if I spoke Italian. With the help of a passerby I was able to  get fuel although it stole my 12.50 Euro in change. The drive back was beautiful as we stopped every mile to take another picture. We knew our journey was coming to an end and we wanted to savor every minute of it.
      That night we all gathered again around Riccardo and Savina's kitchen table for another meal and said our goodbyes. We lingered over Grappa Riserva and wine and thanked everyone for the hospitality and warmth we'd all been given. We knew we'd need to leave early Sunday morning for the drive back up the coast to the airport so we made it an earlier night than I would have liked. The next day as we drove along the autostrada, I recounted our visit and was just a little sad that it was all coming to an end even thought I missed home. It's a strange feeling somewhere between joy and melancholy that I get after experiencing moments like these. I realize how different their world is from the one I live in and at the same time realize how small are the things that separate all of us. It truly is a small world. I had made a lot of new friends and revisited some old ones on this trip. I felt more connected to this land, the people who farm it and the beautiful wines that come out of this trust. Getting off the plane in NYC I was immediately bombarded by all the stuff that we take for granted here. It was more than a little crass after being away from it for such a short time. I missed Italy and the way they make due with less and have so much  more at the same time. Maybe we can be more like them one day? I hope to return again soon and I hope you all do as well. We all need to make that trip every now and again...