About the producer
Renato Marcesini established a family-ran farm dedicated to a variety of crops, animals and vines soon after the war. In 1998 the reins passed to Renato’s grandson, Andrea, a student of agriculture, who continued the work of his grandfather’s farm and renamed it La Felce. Today, Andrea and his small farm located in the far eastern area of Liguria, bordering Tuscany. The farm name La Felce or “the fern” takes this name as the plant thrives in the acidic soils of the area. Andrea also likes the image of the fern for another reason, it was one of the first land plants on Earth, along with moss and lichens so adding a bit of poetry, La Felce is one the oldest farms in this corner of Liguria.
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6 hectares of half-century-old vines are planted on mostly sandy soils alongside olive orchards, vegetable gardens and fields of saffron. Traditional farming techniques are a mainstay of Andrea’s approach; eschewing nearly all technology in the cellar so as not to distort the personality of the terroir. Vermentino is the main planting, and it’s here in the Colli di Luni where the grape arguably reaches its greatest expressions. Here, technique and tradition coexist in perfect symbiosis, where steel vats with temperature control are placed side by side with old-school vertical presses. All fermentations are carried out spontaneously by indigenous yeasts and sulfur dioxide is added in very small quantities only for bottling. Today, Andrea, assisted in the company by his son Francesco, has abandoned chemistry both in the vineyard and in the cellar, respecting himself, nature and those who drink his wine. The aim: to make wine return to being a food for everyone and to be the guardian of history and territory.
In the Vineyard
Organic biodynamic practices
The vineyards are certified organic from 2022 vintage
Total area under vine
6 Hectares in and around Ortonovo
Location of vineyards
Luni and Castelnuovo Magra in Ortonovo
Soil details
The soil is mainly sedimentary with an abundance of sandstone with a few vineyard sites offering grey sand
Grapes
Vermentino, Trebbiano, Malvasia, Massaretta, Sangiovese, Alicante, Canaiolo, Merlot
In the Cellar
Winemaker
Andrea Marcesini
Fermentation practices
Temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel and concrete for all wines
Yeast utilized
Indigenous yeasts used for all wines
Filtration stabilization
Racking and paper filters are used for the entry level wines and natural stabilization for all wines
Fermentation & aging vessels
Fermentation and aging in stainless steel and concrete for all wines
Additional notes
Winemaking style
Following tradition while looking for areas to improve, Andrea takeas as natural of an approach as possible in order to preserve the integrity of his wines
Wines produced
Felcebianco, Felcerosso, Monte dei Frati, Non Sempre, In Origine 400, Reconteso
Total production
Depending on the vintage, roughly 55-60,000 bottles/year