Rebirth and Vision

2015 marks the beginning of a new era for Cerbaiona, when Matthew Fioretti, together with a group of investors led by Gary Rieschel, took over the estate founded in 1977. It was the start of a transformation, exactly two centuries after the last restoration of the main building, as noted on a majolica from 1815 adorning the villa’s façade. The estate began a new life.

Gary Rieschel

Matthew Fioretti

The earliest traces of Cerbaiona, however, date back to 1454, when tax records already mention a house and vineyards. Around this initial nucleus, a small ecosystem gradually developed, including a bread oven, the tenant’s lodging, a rooftop garden, a chapel, and the owner’s residence, which by the late nineteenth century officially changed its function, becoming known as a “summer house.” This small village, a legacy of centuries-old culture, has now been revived.

The rebirth

The earliest traces of Cerbaiona, however, date back to 1454, when tax records already mention a house and vineyards. Around this initial nucleus, a small ecosystem gradually developed, including a bread oven, the tenant’s lodging, a rooftop garden, a chapel, and the owner’s residence, which by the late nineteenth century officially changed its function, becoming known as a “summer house.” This small village, a legacy of centuries-old culture, has now been revived.

At Cerbaiona, every stone, color, and gesture reflects this vision, like notes in a symphony. It is the mark that Rieschel and Fioretti wish to leave on this corner of Tuscany.

The transition from artisanal production to a form of production that respects carefully studied and meticulous procedures, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, where the vision starts with the highly specialized creator of the workshop, has been decisive. This is the atelier. It is a micro-system of high control where the work is observed from within and marked by a relentless pursuit of improvement.

The atelier embodies the intent and vision of the leader. The distance between simple craftsmanship and the creation of an atelier is profound. In the former, a wine may be authentic, true, natural, idiosyncratic, agreeable—even praised. Yet it is only within the atelier that wine becomes refined, precise, transparent, and capable of conveying the purity of its raw material: the grape.

Under the guidance of Matthew Fioretti, each stage of the rebirth was carried out with scientific rigour, artisanal precision and a profound sense of Italian beauty.
This process involved:

The uprooting, replanting and extension of the vineyards, now cultivated using the alberello method.
The construction of new underground cellars.
The introduction of precision oenology.
The restoration of the villa and the creation of a system of gardens.

The vision

Under the guidance of Matthew Fioretti, each stage of the rebirth was carried out with scientific rigour, artisanal precision and a profound sense of Italian beauty.
This process involved:

The uprooting, replanting and extension of the vineyards, now cultivated using the alberello method.
The construction of new underground cellars.
The introduction of precision oenology.
The restoration of the villa and the creation of a system of gardens.

Vineyard