When sitting on the terrace of the estate of Le Velette, with a glass of wine in hand, it is difficult to decide which masterpiece gives more pleasure, the striking view of the Orvietto Duomo or Corrado and Cecilia (brother and sister) Bottai’s Orvietto Classico. The Family owned estate of Le Velette lies high on one of the most coveted land in the heart of the zone of Orvietto Classico. While the tradition of winemaking at the estate dates back to the Etruscans, the current family has been making wine there since 1870s. The Bottais are not people to sit on their ancient and noble laurels, they have worked hard to establish an intelligent equilibrium between tradition and modern enological techniques. Here, no grapes or wine is bought. Everything that goes into the bottle is carefully and selectively harvested from their own 90 hectares of vineyards. So dedicated are the quality that they allow no more than 60 minutes at most to pass from where the grapes are picked to when they are pressed. Orvietto should be a careful and harmonious blending of several grape types, the percentages of which are strictly dictated by DOC law. The Bottais use the minimum percentages of a select clone of Procanico (Trebbiano), and the maximum percentages of Grechetto and Drapeggio which are the grapes that really give the wine its body and structure. They also use the maximum allowance of Verdello, which adds finesse and balance follow by just a touch of Malvasia for dimension.