Beneath the sunlit streets of Montepulciano in Tuscany, we found a wine cellar that felt less like a building and more like a world beneath the city.

At De’ Ricci Cantine Storiche, vaulted stone chambers extend below the historic center. The atmosphere is quiet and cathedral-like. Barrels rest beneath the streets while the wines of Montepulciano mature in the darkness.

But the most important part of De’ Ricci is not only the age of the cellar. It is the attitude of the people caring for it.

Nicolò Trabalzini, the winemaker and caretaker, does not speak as though the winery belongs entirely to him. He sees himself as someone entrusted with a story that began long before he arrived and will continue after him.

That idea shapes the wines. De’ Ricci’s Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made to express Sangiovese, the vineyards, and the character of the place, not to make the winemaker the center of attention.

Nicolò Trabalzini: a caretaker, not a conqueror

Nicolò is the son of Enrico Trabalzini, whose family became connected with the historic cellar after acquiring it from the last Ricci marquess.

As he guided us through the stone chambers, Nicolò spoke with quiet respect for the place.

“If these stones could speak,” he told us, “I hope they would feel that we are doing a good job, that we are doing them justice.”

He compared his role to Alfred, the butler in Batman and Robin: someone working behind the scenes to support something larger.

The comparison was unexpectedly revealing. Nicolò is not trying to force a signature onto every wine. His goal is to help the vineyard, vintage, and land express themselves clearly.

He does not speak of employees as employees. He describes them as part of his extended family.

That humility is not separate from the wine. It is part of the reason the experience feels so grounded.

Nicolò telling the story of De’ Ricci and sharing his ethos

Tradition at De’ Ricci means adapting

The cellar carries centuries of history, but Nicolò does not believe tradition means refusing to change.

Climate and growing conditions are changing. The seasons bring new challenges. A winery with a long history still has to make decisions for the future.

“We are caretakers,” Nicolò said, “and we must adapt if we want to keep honoring this place.”

That is the central idea at De’ Ricci: preservation is not the same as standing still.

The winery’s official philosophy describes its approach as a modern reinterpretation of tradition. That balance is visible in the cellar. The historic surroundings remain central, but the work continues to evolve.

For a visitor, this makes De’ Ricci more than a beautiful underground tour. It becomes a way to understand how a historic producer can respect the past without allowing the past to become a museum.

Nicolò and his father Enrico Trabalzini, whose father had bought the historic cellar from the last Ricci marquess

What makes Vino Nobile di Montepulciano distinctive?

At the center of De’ Ricci’s work is Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a Tuscan wine based on Sangiovese.

The original tasting we experienced was a 100 percent Sangiovese blend drawn from three vineyards around Montepulciano. It showed the variety in a different register from the Sangiovese many readers may first encounter in Chianti Classico.

The wine carried dark cherry and plum, along with mineral notes and an earthy, iron-like character. It had structure and vibrancy, but also an elegance that kept it from feeling heavy.

That distinction is useful when choosing a bottle. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is not simply “another Tuscan red.” The city, vineyards, soils, and local tradition give Sangiovese a particular voice.

SorAldo: the single-vineyard expression

Jan’s favorite wine from the tasting was SorAldo, De’ Ricci’s single-vineyard expression from the Ascianello vineyard.

The vineyard is described as the estate’s highest-elevation site, north of Montepulciano, with sandy clay soils and fossil-shell deposits. In the glass, SorAldo combined weight and grace: structure, freshness, and elegance rather than simple power.

It was the wine that made the idea of site-specific Sangiovese tangible.

The broader Vino Nobile showed the character of Montepulciano. SorAldo narrowed the focus to one vineyard and allowed us to taste the difference that a particular site can make.

Deep beneath the streets of Montepulciano lies a place carved in stone storing De’ Ricci Vino Nobile

Why visit De’ Ricci in Montepulciano?

De’ Ricci is worth seeking out if you want a Tuscany wine experience that combines a historic underground cellar, a direct connection to Montepulciano’s Vino Nobile tradition, a named winemaker with a clear philosophy, a chance to compare a regional wine with a single-vineyard expression, and a setting that makes the history of the wine physically tangible.

The winery currently offers experiences connected to its cellar, vineyards, wines, and hospitality. Check De’ Ricci’s current visitor experiences before planning your visit.

If you would like to explore the wine, the winery’s SorAldo product page has full details. International retailer availability was limited at the time of writing, so it is worth contacting the winery directly for current purchase options.

De’ Ricci is one of the Montepulciano producers featured in our guide to the most important wine regions in Italy, alongside Tuscany’s other key wine stories and Italy’s major regions.

De’ Ricci’s philosophy is simple to describe, but difficult to practice: care for the place, allow the wine to speak, and leave the story stronger than you found it.

Visit our Italy page for a full overview of wine in Italy.