52 Act II / Poggio al Tesoro, Nature and the Elements 53 Act II / Poggio al Tesoro, Nature and the Elements a home in these vineyards. The second and largest nucleus is constituted by Le Sondraie which, given its large extension, necessarily has a larger soil variability; here in fact, in the vineyards closer to the hills, we find the Bolgheri conglomerates of the middle Pleistocene epoch with gravel of varying sizes and a certain presence of calcareous elements as well, though these are not homogeneously distributed. In the lower part we find again the reddish Gori valley sands along with both conglomerates of sand and limestone and, nearer the Camilla ditch which is bounded by a strip of trees, large areas of sand and gravel from the middle Pleistocene epoch. It is obvious that these soils are suitable for different varieties precisely on the basis of their differing origin and composition, and accordingly the grapes of the various plots are different as well. In fact, in the areas with more calcareous clays Merlot has been planted, as this variety, one for more elegant wines, finds in these soils the power and force which are necessary for its finest expressions. Syrah and Vermentino, likewise, succeed in putting on aromatic weight and much structure. The sandier soils, as we have seen, are utilized here for powerful varieties such as the two Cabernets and a bit of Petit Verdot. There is, however, a third nucleus located outside the township limits of Castagneto Carducci: we are dealing here with the Valle di Cerbia vineyard, in the neighboring township of Bibbona, which is situated on two different levels. The higher part is composed of Pleistocene-epoch soils with the fine-grained sands previously examined, which could only host, as well, the two types of Cabernet, while in the lower part, with fresher and more calcareous soils, Viognier has been planted in order to take advantage of the temperature swings between daytime heat and evening and nighttime coolness caused, in part, by a neighboring wooded area. Much hard work was invested on the part of the Allegrini family, first Walter and then Marilisa, along with all the technical assistance which they involved in the project in order to give a certain logic and order to parcels which had to be first acquired and then planted in an systematic, rational, and informed way. There was much work to do as well for Era, goddess of the earth, in order to match up all these details, insignificant if taken one by one but decisive taken as a whole. But these soils needed to warmed, illuminated, given joy and vitality. And what else could be utilized if not Fire? On the right: The old vines in the loose sandy soil on Via Bolgherese Next pages: Cabernet Franc planted in 2005 at Le Grottine
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