FROM THE WIRES...
Frescobaldi Celebrates its Twelfth Harvest on Gorgona Island With its Remarkable Social Project Empowering Prisoners to Become Assets to the Wine Industry
FRESCOBALDI & GORGONA: TWELFTH HARVEST
The social project reduces recidivism through a dedicated work ethic on Europe’s only island prison.
Gorgona, June 6, 2024 – Marchesi Frescobaldi and Gorgona are proud to announce their twelfth harvest as part of their extraordinary collaboration in winemaking on, the only island prison in Europe. On Gorgona, inmates spend the last part of their sentence working closely with Frescobaldi Winery to develop skills that facilitate their successful reintegration into the workforce as well as in society. Within a small vineyard overlooking the sea, this project provides inmates with a regular salary, and comprehensive training in viticulture, under the supervision of the renowned Tuscan winery’s agronomists and oenologists. At the end of their sentence, inmates have the opportunity to work at Marchesi Frescobaldi estates as skilled professionals and are encouraged to do so.
Today, this Vermentino and Ansonica vineyard encompasses more than 2.3 hectares, including a second hectare planted in 2015. Gorgona produces a distinctive white wine which embodies the uniqueness of the setting and symbolizes the hope and freedom associated with those who worked the land and contributed to the creation of the wine. The project’s first harvest was in 2012, and inmates have helped to produce the 9,000 bottles annually ever since. “Gorgona 2023, the twelfth harvest, allows us to experience a project that makes us prouder every year,” says Lamberto Frescobaldi, President of Marchesi Frescobaldi. He adds, “On Gorgona, there is the 'uniqueness' of this island and a project that, despite producing a very limited number of bottles, never ceases to evoke emotions. We have the opportunity to experience this extraordinary land that conveys everything through its scents and flavors: the love for the island, the care and passion of people, the hope for a better life, the influence of the sea, and a wonderful environment. These little more than two hectares of vineyards give life to an inimitable and exclusive wine, a symbol of hope and freedom that continues to amplify around the world. We are thrilled to have been part of this project since 2012.”
The Gorgona label aims to be an extraordinary emblem of the island, highlighting a different aspect of its beauty and range each year. “With Gorgona 2023, we wanted to tell the story of the wind, or rather the winds that blow here, playing a crucial role in daily life. The four winds—Grecale, Scirocco, Libeccio, and Mistral—became fundamental elements in the island’s viticulture, influencing air temperature and thus the ripening of the grapes,” adds Lamberto Frescobaldi. Gorgona’s soil is iron-rich, and this small vineyard is optimally exposed to the east and protected from the winds. It was first planted in 1999 and enlarged in 2015 and 2018. Vermentino and Ansonica varieties have always been the undisputed stars of this extraordinary wine. Gorgona encapsulates the very essence of the island.
The 2023 vintage is distinguished by its beautiful straw yellow color with gold reflections, bright and crystalline. The bouquet is complex and elegantly intense, with Mediterranean and iodized notes most prominent. Among the Mediterranean scents are helichrysum, savory, and rosemary, followed by floral notes reminiscent of broom and chamomile. The fruit profile is one of stone and exotic fruits, with delicate citrus notes. On the palate, it is savory, fresh, and long. The finish is remarkable, and the harmony between the nose and palate is complete.
THE VISION
Frescobaldi for Social was created in August 2012. Before being a wine, it was conceived as a multi-year project in collaboration with the management of the Gorgona penal colony. Its goal is to afford inmates an active and comprehensive training in viticulture. Under the supervision of Frescobaldi’s agronomists and oenologists, inmates revived an initial hectare of vineyard back into production, to which Frescobaldi added 1.3 more.
THE PROJECT
The Gorgona project was launched in August 2012 through a collaboration between Frescobaldi and Gorgona, the only island-prison in Europe. Here, inmates spend the final period of their sentence working closely with nature to develop skills that facilitate reintegration into the workforce and society. Around a small vineyard, nestled in the heart of an amphitheater overlooking the sea, the project aims to provide inmates with a concrete and active experience in viticulture, under the collaboration and supervision of Frescobaldi’s agronomists and oenologists. Gorgona Rosso came to light with the 2015 harvest, from some rows of Sangiovese and Vermentino Nero, organically grown and aged in terracotta Orcio. Today, the vineyard extends over almost two and a half hectares, including the initial hectare and a second planted in 2015. From this vineyard of Vermentino and Ansonica grapes, Gorgona is produced, a fruit of the uniqueness of the place, human labor, and a symbol of hope and freedom.
PROJECT TIMELINE
In 2013, the first harvest of Gorgona (2012) was presented to the DAP in Rome, and in September of the same year, the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, received the magnum number "0" as a gift from Lamberto Frescobaldi. In 2014, Frescobaldi signed a 15-year contract with the prison administration and hired two inmates to work in the and Frescobaldi’s oenologists planted another hectare of Vermentino on the island to increase the number of vineyard work opportunities and to produce a higher quality wine). The vineyard area then increased to 2.3 hectares. By 2018, the sixth harvest of Gorgona, "Gorgona 2017," was released. The production was 9,000 bottles, and the label features an ode to the island’s wildlife, from the wild rabbit to the peregrine falcon to the herring gull, all calling Gorgona their home.
PARTNERS
Andrea Bocelli contributed the label text for the 2013 harvest. "The Tuscan Archipelago is a terrestrial paradise, of which Gorgona is the wildest and most luminous pearl of Aphrodite. Behind its apparent ruggedness lies the unspeakable seduction of scents and silences, and a nature that moves for its strength, for its eternal youth... And all around, water and salt, reflecting the messages of the sky, tying knots to the sails." (A. Bocelli - 2014) Simonetta Doni from Studio Doni & Associati, one of the few international graphic design studios specializing in wine label design, participates every year by donating the wine labels’ graphic design> Her highly specialized team interprets the cultural and artistic qualities that makes the project and the island unique. Giorgio Pinchiorri, owner of Enoteca Pinchiorri, one of the most famous Italian restaurants in the world, contributes with his exquisite cuisine to promote the wine and gastronomic heritage of the island of Gorgona. Argotractors, part of the Argo Group founded in 2007 as a global tractor manufacturing hub, donated a vineyard tractor for viticultural activities on the island.
MARCHESI FRESCOBALDI
The Frescobaldi family has been producing wine in Tuscany for over 700 years. Frescobaldi is one of the leading wineries in Italy, with products positioned in the high-end fine wine market. The company, which combines tradition and innovation, believes in respecting the land and enhancing the grapes from its own vineyards and is renowned around the world.
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