Fico, the Italian word for “fig”, refers to the ancient fig tree nestled in the center of one of Villa le Corti’s vineyards called “Gugliaie.” It was this very tree that inspired the name of Filippo Corsini’s project in 2015. Though all of the wines produced by the Corsini family are certified organic, Fico aimed to go one step further by incorporating biodynamic practices and ensuring a cohesive, interconnected living system between the vines and the surrounding nature, a philosophy that he came across when helping harvest in Patagonia, Argentina. In the cellar, Filippo was convinced that the wine would symbolize a new direction for production, but also an authentic philosophy for life: working in harmony with the rhythm and biological cycles of the vines and nature. Ever since Filippo’s passing, his family and friends continue to gather each year in his honor to harvest the vineyard and carry out the winemaking process exactly as Filippo had imagined.

The organically-farmed, south-facing Gugliaie vineyard is planted to Sangiovese and lies on Pliocenic hills rich with river stones at an altitude of 270 meters above sea level, in San Casciano in Val di Pesa, the northern-most area of Chianti Classico due southeast of Florence. The earth is calcareous, claylike and rich with fossils. The portion of the vineyard that goes into “Per Filo” has notably less stones.

A year in the life of the Fico vineyard involves little intervention as possible to allow the plants, soil and environment to work in synergy. The vineyard’s soils are aerated following harvest and then planted with a mixture of herbs, grasses and beans, for example fava beans, red clover and lupini beans. The legumes bring extra nitrogen and support the calcium in the soil which results in an ideal habitat for beneficial insects that help to manage vine parasites. Vines are pruned manually in the winter during the phase of the descending moon in accordance with the biodynamic calendar. In the Spring, after the new shoots appear buds are trimmed accordingly to ensure an efficient, prosperous vine.

The grapes are sorted and subject to selection, where the chosen grapes are put directly in small wooden barrels for fermentation, which generally takes 15 days without the use of any yeast or additives. After the fermentation period, the wine is left to rest for 8 months in barrique then bottled in the month of June, in accordance with the astronomic cycle and the biodynamic calendar. The glass chosen for the bottles is as lightweight as possible, a further attempt to respect the environment, while the label is a reproduction on recycled paper of an original watercolor painting drawn by Filippo’s aunt. The wine rests another three months in bottle before it is released.