Castello di Monsanto

REGION: Toscana; APPELLATIONS: Chianti Classico, Chianti; UGA: San Donato in Poggio

As you can easily guess from the first panoramic image, Castello di Monsanto is located exactly on the western edge of the Chianti Classico appellation, and even a substantial part of its vineyards (those highlighted in yellow, destined for the production of Fabrizio Bianchi Chardonnay) spreads just beyond the same border.

Far from marginal, however, is the role that Castello di Monsanto has always played in the Chianti universe, and as proof of this it will suffice to recall how Fabrizio Bianchi was among the very first to play the Supertuscan card with the Sangioveto Grosso dai Vigneti di Monsanto 1974 and even before that of a single vineyard Chianti with Chianti Il Poggio 1962.

A vineyard the latter that still today – under the rigorous guidance of Laura Bianchi – represents the pride of the property, and after all, it could not be otherwise given the splendid position it enjoys and the excellent soils that give the wine that unmistakable signature made of elegance, vigor and classicism.

Still on the subject of vineyards, it is also worth mentioning the Il Mulino vineyard, in the lowest part of the property and destined for the production of Nemo, and more so Scanni, whose first vinification in purity dates back to 1974 with Chianti Sangioveto Grosso dai Vigneti di Scanni.

Finally, a last note deserves geology: if in fact the pietraforte is an almost constant presence in this corner of the UGA San Donato in Poggio, really typical of Monsanto is the vast area of marine sands of the Pliocene epoch, rich in fossils and quite similar to those found in the southern part of the UGAs Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Vagliagli.

Further insights: Chianti Classico, The Atlas of the UGAs