About Salcheto

The Salco Label

The Salco Story 

In 1992, a Prugnolo Gentile clone whose stalks have maple leaf red striations, was identified in an old one-acre vineyard on the property. The foremost characteristic of this grape, dubbed Salco, is its loosely packed cluster, which is better able to withstand over-ripening and reach what Michele Manelli terms “full ripeness.” This quality led the estate to propagate cuttings of the vine and then plant another 3.7 acres of the clone. Since 1999 these grapes have been vinified together in a single upright wooden cask, later divided into two distinct lots.

The first 500-case lot was released after 4 years under the name of Salco. The second 400-case lot was aged an additional 2 years. Because of this additional time in the bottle, it was called Salco Evoluzione. The resulting wine is a Noble Sangiovese of great character and depth.

The Salco Label—An Interaction of Wine, Culture and Art

Wine, culture and art are all intertwined. To express that synthesis, we work with great artists to create the Salco label series of labels. Each vintage is different and serves as a sort of a mini-curated art series. The first two vintages, 1999 and 2000, were done by the Franco-Mexican painter, Pablo Leroux, while the 2001 label fell to the Neapolitan artist Ciccio Tramontano. The 2003 label showcased a great photographer, reporter Paolo Pellegrin, who, in addition to offering his poetic landscapes to dress Salco Evoluzione, also exhibited his work--dedicated to the most controversial and difficult moments of contemporary history—at the winery. The 2004 label brings a rhythmic balance of both musical and visual expression form the great Visual Artist and award winning Filmmaker Michel Gondry. Mr. Gondry set out to match Salcheto’s passion for wine with his own great passion for drumming, and articulated a journey through modern music history. The 2005 is launched in the year when our new “off-grid” cellar is inaugurated, we have sealed in our Salco Evoluzione bottles massages, from all of Salcheto's employees and associates, that we most care about.     

We, at Salcheto, view the labels as a vehicle to a greater good. As part of the great interaction created by the development of the Salco labels, each year Salcheto, in cooperation with the artist who designs the labels, works with a charity to donate funds raised through a joint venture or operation. The charity may be a cause close to the artist, or may be one whose work is intertwined with the theme of the labels.

Click here to visit the current Salco vintage section.