Two Tuscan terroirs in one bottle, cut back from four grapes to exactly two, in a run of 3,000 bottles. That is where this conversation starts. For this Sparks I sit down with Miria Bracali, chief winemaker at Cecchi, with the new vintage of Coevo in front of us. We taste the wine through together and unpack why she calls this 2021 “a turning point in Cecchi’s oenological history.”
Who is Miria Bracali
Miria is chief technologist and director of production at Cecchi, where she has worked for 26 years. She says she has grown in tandem with the company, working hand in hand with Andrea Cecchi and the team. Cecchi makes 8 to 9 million bottles a year across estates in Chianti Classico, Maremma, Umbria and, more recently, Montalcino. Within all of that, Coevo is the calling card: the wine where the family shows its direction.
“We don’t want a muscled wine. We aim for freshness, elegance and finesse,” Miria says. That line runs through the whole conversation and explains the choices in the vineyard and the cellar.
What you learn in this episode
- Why Cecchi cut the Coevo blend back from four grapes to two
- How Sangiovese from Chianti Classico and Merlot from Maremma hold each other in balance
- Why the Merlot from Val delle Rose has a fresh, round style rather than a jammy one
- How Cecchi keeps tannin extraction deliberately low for freshness and finesse
- What 18 months in large French oak does to the wine without dominating it
- Why Miria ranks 2021 among the top of recent vintages
- How a house making 8 to 9 million bottles still produces a run of just 3,000
In the glass
Deep ruby. The nose gives ripe red fruit, spicy with nutmeg, dried rosemary and thyme, and above that violets and roses. The oak sits beneath, not on top. On the palate full-bodied yet surprisingly light-footed: round, fruity, with tannins clearly present without forcing. A lot of cinnamon and nutmeg in a long, fresh finish. The saline freshness comes partly from the high-altitude Sangiovese of Villa Rosa, partly from the sea breeze on the Merlot in Maremma.
Frequently asked questions
What does Coevo mean?
Coevo means “contemporary” in Italian. The name carries the philosophy of the wine: rooted in Tuscan tradition but looking to the future. Since the first harvest in 2006 the blend could shift from year to year.
Why did Cecchi move from four grapes to two?
For the 2021 vintage Cecchi chose only Sangiovese and Merlot, fifty-fifty, with no priority given to either. Miria sees this as the core of their craft: two grapes from two defining areas, clearer in style than the earlier four-grape blend.
Where do the grapes come from?
50% Sangiovese comes from the Ribaldoni vineyard at Villa Rosa in Chianti Classico, 50% Merlot from Poggio La Mozza in Val delle Rose in Maremma. Two areas that mark a milestone for the Cecchi family.
How many bottles of Coevo 2021 were made?
Just 3,000 bottles. The wine launched internationally in March 2025, including in Italy, the United States, Canada, Brazil and Japan.
Listen on your own podcast platform
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