(MONSANTO – FIRENZE) The Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “Il Poggio” of Castello di Monsanto was the first cru ever produced in Chianti Classico area. Other avant-garde and quality red wines from the winery are Fabrizio Bianchi Sangiovese and Nemo il Cabernet Sauvignon, also the excellent white wine Fabrizio Bianchi Chardonnay is worth mentioning.
Castello di Monsanto’s History and Philosophy
Nostalgia is a strong emotion, many important choices and decisions are often not made on the basis of rational calculations but under the impulse of meaningful memories and past experiences. And all this despite, as Simone Signoret wrote in his famous autobiography with the wonderful title, “Nostalgia is no longer what it used to be”. Nostalgia, however, was certainly significant in the foundation of one of the major properties of the Chianti Classico and Tuscany , Monsanto Castle in Barberino Tavarnelle.
The year was 1962 and the founder was Aldo Bianchi, who had left his native San Gimignano for the Italian north, where he created an important textile firm in the city of Gallarate near Milan. But his love for his native Tuscany and its countryside was by no means weakened during his decades of residence in Lombardy, and when he decided to purchase a country property in his native region he chose a spot from which he could see the towers of San Gimignano. Barberino, in fact, on the far western side of the Chianti Classico appellation, offers a view which, on a clear day, brings these towers well into sight.
The wines of Castello di Monsanto
The establishment of Monsanto as one of the most prestigious and reliable producers of fine Tuscan wine, however, is due to his son Fabrizio Bianchi, someone who has always loved to go against the grain, entrepreneur but also something of a rebel as well. And there was much to rebel against in the world of Tuscan wine in the 1960’s and 1970’s. In 1962 his Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio was the first true cru on the zone, and in 1968 he proceeded to eliminate the white grapes from the orthodox Chianti Classico blend.
His non-appellation Fabrizio Bianchi Sangiovese was a pioneering, and excellent, varietal wine, while his Fabrizio Bianchi Chardonnay was an early example of barrel-fermented Chardonnay, his Nemo an equally fine Cabernet Sauvignon. One could continue for a lengthy space in this vein, but to no particular advantage, the reputation of the house is solid and secure all over the world. But it should be mentioned that his daughter Laura, equally talented and firmly committed to the work of the house, has been at his side for decades.
Il Poggio – Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
| Name: | Chianti Classico DOCG |
| Grapes: | 90% Sangiovese, 7% of Canaiolo and 3% of Colorino |
| Alcohol content: | 13.5 ° |
Info & Contacts Castello di Monsanto
Address: Via Monsanto, 8, 50028 Monsanto I FI
Tel: +39 055 8059000
Website: www.castellodimonsanto.it
e-mail: monsanto@castellodimonsanto.it
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