To say that Podere Il Cocco is off the beaten track would be like saying the moon is just down the street. The white road rambles miles through the woods and just when you can't imagine anyone in their right mind living in such a place, the road opens up to fields of grasses and waving wild flowers. The views in every direction compete for attention and then after another distance, a tiny sign points the way.
Let me back up a bit to say that we read about Il Cocco and were curious enough about Giacomo Bindi, winemaker, and one man show. He personally responded with tour options, apologizing for having to charge us for a tour, but he couldn't afford to lose the work time. He said his brother ran the restsurant, which seats twelve at one table, and wondered if we might like to have lunch too.
So we made a date for a tour, tasting and lunch.
Il Cocco is an agriturismo, a camping site and a stopping off point for hikers on their way from Montalcino to San Antimo Abbey, which is about 18 km round trip. We saw campers coming into the bathrooms for a shower. We saw hikers with their ridiculous walking sticks (????) stop in for a coffee and a grappa. There were dogs--Ballou and Cookie--milling about.
Giacomo was a half hour late to greet us for our appt, but Paola explained he was chest deep in grapes picked just yesterday and trying to get them in the tanks before giving us our tour. He sent his younger brother Stefano to chat with us and gave us a glass of cloudy cabernet sauvignon juice that was pressed this morning. It was sweet, fruity and life-giving. Stefano, who was in his early 20s, was clearly bored and preferred to live in the family's winter home in Siena. He said he liked to work in a lively local pub there, but still he was polite and told us some family history including that his father is an oncology surgeon in Siena, also a Buddhist and a vegan, which I thought was interesting for the owner of a winery.
Paola, the chef, popped out to ask what we wanted for lunch. There was no menu so she gave us a list of the ingredients she had on hand and let us say what form they would take. We decided on a salumi and bruschetta plate to share, a dish of tagliatelle with fresh porcini for Joe, then we each had a piece of chicken grilled under a brick with grilled radicchio on the side. She took our requests then went back to the kitchen to make them.
When we finally met Giacomo he was smiling, but slightly ruffled from the immediate nature of the work. He half grumbled to himself about being foolish to make tour appointments on harvest days.
But, he grabbed three unopened bottles and some glasses and led us into the cellar where all the magic happens.
We had full glasses of the wines for the tasting and walked through different parts of the small production facility learning about each phase as we drank.
We had lots of questions and he patiently and passionately answered them all. It was very clear that this young man, all of 34, who had been in the winery since he was 19, was curious and open to learning more about the business with every harvest. He was primarily making wines from Sangiovese grapes, but also used cabernet to make an IGT blend. He was experimenting with using red grapes in Vin Santo, which is traditionally made with only Malvasia and Trebbiano--both white.
After more than an hour with him, Giacomo led us back to the dining room where Paola's delicious feast was waiting for us. Stefano poured wine and attended to every need. By the time we left, they were all friends.
The wines of Il Cocco may never make it into the 90 point realm of Wine Spectator, but today's experience wasn't about that. At his remote vinyard, in the middle of noplace, Giacomo Bindi is churning out fine wines with his hands and his heart.
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