I met Craig Bosio a few years ago through a mutual wine friend. Except for the fact that Craig is a Red Sox fan we hit it off immediately. He markets high-end real estate properties in some of the most beautiful regions of the world, including a winery in Tuscany. Instant synergy. A year and a half ago I was invited to the Cayman Cookout held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and featuring Eric Ripert, Anthony Bourdain, Jose Andres, David Chang and wine and food seminars. Craig generously offered me 3 nights at one of his properties in the Cayman Islands. The Grand Caymanian on the North Sound Lagoon was next to an 18-hole golf course and had a private boat dock to the famed Stingray City. I introduced him to my nephew John Kapon and Craig has attended many of John’s wine auctions in New York and Hong Kong. He has advertised his properties in the Acker Merrall & Condit auction catalogues.
Fast forward to June 2011 when I was invited on a press trip to Tuscany sponsored by the Chianti Classico Consortium. I asked Craig if I could visit his properties in Tuscany and we were off and running. He picked me up in Radda, the heart of Chianti Classico country, and drove me in a bit over an hour to my home for two nights Villa Petrischio outside Cortona. Restored in 2004, the Relais Villa Petrischio maintains original architectural features dating from the early 18th century. The 18 rooms, each named after a mythical female and male personality, features Tuscan brick arches, beautiful and comfortable furnishings and access to the expansive green park, restaurant and swimming pool. The Relais is nestled among towering pines, fragrant flower gardens, vineyards, and olive trees in the heart of Tuscany. The location is atop the highest hill between Cortona and Montepulciano halfway between Florence and Rome. Two of the rooms are available for fractional ownership.
Luxury Investment Properties is a high-end organization for second-home ownership. There are grand historical castles, vineyard resorts, Italian villas, town homes and apartments. Besides the two locations I have visited there are also opportunities in Lake Como Italy, Arcos Gardens Cadiz Spain and Domaine de L’enclos Provence France. They specialize in the design, sales, marketing and operation of luxury investment properties for the vacation real estate market. They work on site planning, interior design, amenity programs and sales and marketing. They reach out to elite travelers wishing to invest in exclusive resorts.
I was interested in seeing their two properties around Cortona. By the way, Cortona is a lovely Tuscan city made famous by the book and movie, Under The Tuscan Sun. It is a 2003 film based on Frances Mayes' 1996 memoir of the same name. The film stars Diane Lane and Sandra Oh. Frances Mayes still lives in Cortona. The Palazzo Comunale with its clock tower and Etruscan Museum is the center of town.
Gary Player Golf Course has started to be built within minutes of the Manzano Golf Resort. There will be a four-star hotel, spa, sports facility and restaurant. Gary Player Design has developed over 250 projects in 35 countries on five continents. Mr. Player’s objective is to work as much as possible with the natural topography, environment and features of the site. He wants to protect the wildlife and existing ecosystems and will be adding only Indigenous plant material. He wants to cater to all levels of golfers including the 15-handicap golfer as being capable of holding a major tournament. There will be multiple tee positions and bunker positioning, particularly around greens. The golfer must see all the hazards, but also enjoy the various vistas that the topography offers.
The Manzano Golf Resort is a fractional ownership next door to the Tenimenti d’Alessandro Borgo Syrah winery (more on that property later). There are Tuscan villas that stand-alone or townhouses set in medieval formation around a central square. Maid service and landscaping are provided. The resort has over 200 acres, including the 18-hole Gary Player golf course. There will be a four-star luxury hotel, wellness center complete with saunas and Turkish baths, two pools, dining, reading rooms and lounges. If one wants to work there are videoconference and telecom facilities, wireless internet and secretarial support. I toured the completed villas and townhouses.
I have been a fan of Borgo Syrah and have written up their wines several times. I had the opportunity to have dinner with Massimo d’Allesandro the night before my visit to his winery. He is the owner of a architectural firm/studio and works and lives in Rome (about 2 1/2 hours from Borgo). His family established the winery in 1967 and in 2007 Guiseppe Calabresi became his financial partner. There are 272 acres in the estate with 124 acres of Syrah vineyards. Cortona has the largest planting of Syrah in Italy. The DOC recognition was established in 1999. Christine Vernay from Condrieu and the Rhone and Luca Corrado Vieti from Barolo in the Piedmont are his consulting enologists. Wines include: Il Bosco which garnered a Wine Spectaor rating of 95 and is complex with velvety tannins and layers of blackberry, dark chocolate and coffee; Cortona Syrah DOC is a lighter version of Il Bosco; Migliara, a vineyard selection, has aromas of blackberries, anise and black pepper with a very long finish. James Suckling writing in the Wine Spectator gave it a 98 rating and said it reminded him of “some of the great Syrah’s from the Northern Rhone.” There is also Fontarca which is 100% Viognier. The Il Bosco Syrah 2007 finished 4th (out of 383 wines tasted) at the 2011 Syrah (Shiraz) du Monde International Wine Competition.
At Borgo Syrah ownership of one of the seven 18th century properties gives you fractional ownership of the vineyard (there is only full ownership of the villas). There are three country houses and several private apartments. Each dwelling has been custom designed by one of Italy’s premier designers who also happens to be a co-owner of the winery (Massimo d’Allesandro). Each residence has a view overlooking grape vines, olive groves, gardens or century-old trees. The living quarters have terracotta-tiled floors; traditional stone and brickwork and some have period frescoes. Four acres of the vineyard are split amongst villa owners, yielding about 250 bottles of private-labeled wine per year, per owner, stored at their own exclusive wine cellar at Borgo Syrah.
I am not selling property. My recommendation is to call and arrange a visit to Tuscany. I saw the “works in progress” and was very impressed with its quality. These are luxury properties and require a considerable investment.
For More Information-
www.luxuryinvestmentproperties.com
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