Cincinnati-based attorney Michael L. Cioffi, founder of Monteverdi Tuscany, a luxury boutique resort located in Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia region, has acquired Tenuta Valdipiatta in Montepulciano for an undisclosed price, Wine Spectator has learned.
The deal includes nearly 75 acres of vines, 5 acres of olive trees and the winery facility and cellar. Valdipiatta produces an average of 6,600 cases each year, including a Rosso di Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Vino Nobile Riserva and the single-vineyard Vino Nobile Vigna d’Alfiero. The winery has been certified organic since 2018. Current owners Miriam Caporali and her husband, Giuliano, will continue to oversee day to day operations, with Miriam as COO.
A Partner, Investor and Friend
Cioffi has committed to the future growth of Validipiatta by investing to purchase additional vineyards, update the winery equipment and implement a strategic marketing program in conjunction with Monteverdi Tuscany. He would not reveal his total investment but said it exceeded $1 million.
“The decades-long friendship between us, the desire to ensure continuity and continuing success of Valdipiatta’s business, and the deep trust in Michael Cioffi’s vision and entrepreneurial ability are the elements that gave rise to the transaction,” Caporali told Wine Spectator. “Most of all, this is a transaction motivated by friendship and desire to blend two families that care deeply for one another.”
Tenuta Valdipiatta dates back to the late 1960s, when Montepulciano became an official DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) appellation. The estate was purchased by Giulio Caporali, an engineer from Rome, in the 1980s. He expanded the vineyard area to its current size. His daughter Miriam joined him in 1997, assuming full responsibility for the management of Valdipiatta in 2002.
A Prominent Hospitality Placement
A partner in the international law firm Blank Rome, Cioffi discovered Valdipiatta after reading an article in Wine Spectator. In 2003, he visited the cellar during a family vacation in Tuscany, striking up a friendship with Giulio Caporali over the years.
In 2012, Cioffi founded Monteverdi Tuscany, a luxury boutique hotel in a hilltop village near Sarteano, about 13 miles from Montepulciano. In 2023, the property opened additional rooms and suites, a spa and wellness center and a restored church that now functions as a performing arts venue. It's also home to two restaurants—a Tuscan osteria named Zita and a fine dining venue called Oreade that will open this year.
“Monteverdi Tuscany restaurants already feature a decades-long vertical of Valdipiatta wines—the only restaurant in the world to do so—and Monteverdi guests will receive special status and access to Valdipiatta releases, including exclusive library releases that will not be available to the public,” Cioffi told Wine Spectator.
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