Casa Raia

Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Pierre-Jean Monnoyer is the quintessential vigneron. Proprietor of Casa Raia, an outstanding Brunello farm counting only 4 hectares purchased from former owners Biondi-Santi, perched just beside Montalcino at 1200ft. above sea level. If you want to know more about the characteristics of this area you can take a look at www.vinerra.com

Pierre-Jean is the son of a Corsican Mother and Bourguignon Father who actually found his way to China before settling in Montalcino, moving there in 2001 to open a bar. He later became passionate about tea and worked a stint in a remote tea farming village called Dali. Life called him back to Europe eventually and in the mid-2000’s Pierre-Jean found his way to Casa Raia after it was purchased by renowned Ukrainian-Canadian painter and sculptor Ludmilla Temerty. It was here Pierre-Jean earned his fame.

The property included 1.1 hectares of historic Brunello vineyards originally planted by Biondi-Santi but which had grown old and very low yielding. Using a combiantion of regenerative and organic farming (evidenced by the explosive biodiversity between their rows), Pierre-Jean revived these wizened vines and rejuvenated the abandoned olive groves. With each vintage, their Sangiovese harvest becomes more robust, the vines convalescing back from the brink of exhaustion. This is vital given that Casa Raia’s Brunello comes from this minuscule single hectare plot of their oldest vines. Even in years when the yield is more generous, the quality only improves. This is owed as much to the stewardship of the soil as to the constant application of a minimalist philosophy in the cellar. 

Further vineyards were planted in 2011 that grew up to become the much loved Bevilo cuvée (and another small parcel was planted in 2021—we cannot wait to taste the results!). The Bevilo parcel is in Il Pozzo at the same elevation as the home parcel but facing north, growing Sangiovese with a smattering of Merlot, Cabernet, and Cannaiolo.

It would be such a shame to take this degree of farming attention and force the results through an industrial winemaking machine. Pierre-Jean expertly allows the fruit to shine for itself. The DOCG’s minimum requirements of two years’ oak aging for Brunello are here doubled but in much larger oak botte as opposed to barriques, achieving the more classically styled and long-ageing expression that emphasizes fruit development over any aggressive barrel flavour. Pierre-Jean nevertheless insists on the best French oak from the famed Allier forest. His wines are bottled directly from the barrel without filtration without any additives save the bare minimum of sulphites. The unadulterated typicity of these wines is truly a thing of beauty, their profound complexity a testament to the terroir and to a style of farming so careful and attentive we’re tempted to call it gardening. 

Within the ever more bewildering world of 'natural wine', I personally take great comfort in knowing that these seemingly trendy ideals can be applied sensibly and successfully to wines of heritage, renown, and immeasurable deliciousness.