We’re comfortable saying that Francesco Annesanti is a rising star in Italy who breaks molds and spans categories. If anything slows down the reputation people like him, it’s that the wines don’t fit nicely into any box, where amplifying them is easy because it’s a formulaic routine. The labels of the wines are fun/modern and are louder than what collectors latch on to. However, the wines demonstrate the kind of substance that makes classicists sit up straight. Our favorite moments are when staunch classicists write the wines off before tasting them, but then become enamored with how artistic and unique, yet typical (of each variety), the wines tend to be.

With his flare for artistry, the wines are usually darlings at trendy natural wine bars. However, they just as readily show up at some of the finest Michelin starred restaurants.

Perhaps most interestingly, Vinous started covering Francesco in 2023. We don’t care much for scores, but recognize that more avant-garde growers such as Francesco rarely end up in publications such as Vinous. Again, there is something unique happening here, no matter how its sliced.

Francesco farms no official appellation, simply making “Umbrian” wine, in a little known place called The Valnerina. It’s a mountainous area (he is in the valley) that is only an hour and a half from Rome. Whereas Rome is a warmer climate, the mountains afford a totally different microclimate that is historically difficult to ripen grapes in (hence no historical appellation). Even so, the land is singular - rich with life, having high percentage of calcareous clay, and with a very long growing season.

Francesco mostly farms native varieties, though he also planted French varietals such as Merlot and Pinot Noir, because he sensed that he had the proper climate and soil for them. Experimentation and creativity is central to how he works, though most of his core techniques reflect the wisdom of time.

He does quite literally does everything himself, from tending his vines right down to personally dipping each bottle in wax, and hand labeling. His terra cotta amphorae were custom made to support the miniscule quantities that he works with. He follows some principles of biodynamics; farming naturally and adopting practices such as bottling during clear skies and a waning moon. He is very quiet and soft-spoken, yet he has so much emotion and artistic energy that manifests only in his wine.

Francesco prefers spontaneous fermentation and aging in stainless steel - he doesn’t have any wooden barrels! For whites, he prefers 2-4 days of skin maceration, though turns the volume up to 11 for his amphora raised whites - more on those to come.

The wines spend time on the fine lees and sometimes battonage is used because sulfite levels are very low, though the wines do not reflect a yeasty character and are definitely described as “clean”. Francesco is interested in making fine wines, not wines where a “no added sulfites” label is the primary driver. When he bottles a wine with no added sulfites, it is something different than the norm.

Things really go off the rails for his 3 amphora raised wines that number to about 800 bottles annually. One is Trebbiano Spoletino (Colle Fregiara), the next (Acqua della Serpa) is an old vine field blend of Malvasia Bianco, Grechetto, Trebbiano Spoletino, and minor grapes such as Pecorino or Moscato. The final wine, Piano della Torre, is 100% Pinot Noir that is it’s own thing, yet is more reflective in style and structure of Burgundy than Italian Pinot Noir - think cool-climate zip and ample intensity through lightness.

All three of these wines are fermented on 40% of their skins for a full 10 months, before being racked into glass demijohn for natural clarification before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wines are so soaring and graceful that it’s almost impossible to reconcile the character it to how the wines were made.