San Felice (Bell’Aja) grows in Bolgheri, with the acquisition of the Batzella label

The “risk” of wine acquisitions in the most prestigious Italian wine territories is on the up. And after the deal that saw the entrepreneur and producer Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini, at the helm of Caparzo and also owner of the Altesino brand, acquire another 4.5 hectares in Brunello di Montalcino, bringing her total to 65 hectares, and the announcement by Riccardo Illy, at the helm of the “Polo del Gusto” (which already includes the Mastrojanni winery, another Montalcino brand), that 2022 will see the group’s arrival in Barolo (according to Winenews rumours, with the acquisition of the Cascina Meriame winery in Serralunga d’Alba), from Bolgheri comes the news that the Bell’Aja winery, which belongs to the Allianz Group’s Agricola San Felice (one of the leading names in Chianti Classico), has bought Batzella, a small winery with 7.5 hectares, mainly devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, founded in 2000 by Khanh Nguyen and Franco Batzella, husband and wife for many years colleagues at the World Bank in Washington (with the advice, at the time, of Professor Attilio Scienza of the University of Milan, as Franco Batzella himself recently recounted in a video).
“With this acquisition, San Felice consolidates its presence in the Bolgheri area”, explains an official note, “where since 2016 it has owned a 6-hectare vineyard in Le Sondraie locality, from which the Bell’Aja winery originates. The acquisition project envisages the development of a further 3.5 hectares of new vineyards on the property’s land”.
“San Felice has been present for over 50 years in some of Tuscany’s most prestigious wine-growing areas, such as Chianti Classico and Montalcino. In Bolgheri, with this acquisition, we intend to make a leap in size, thanks to the new vineyards, but also and especially in quality, by equipping ourselves with an innovative winery (which will replace the current one) and a beautiful farmhouse to be dedicated to enthusiasts - customers, journalists, and trade representatives - of this splendid terroir”, says Mario Cuccia, San Felice’s president.
Today, the San Felice properties extend over a total of 685 hectares in the three most prestigious production areas of Tuscany, including Chianti Classico (where the “starred” Relais & Chateaux Borgo San Felice is located), Montalcino (with Tenuta Campogiovanni) and Bolgheri.