Castello di Monsanto

Monsanto Castle dates back to the mid-1700s and for the past fifty years has become the home of the Bianchi family's prized Chianti wines. Aldo Bianchi became the owner of the castle in 1961 and from the first moment he was fascinated by the picturesque view of the place, nestled in the green hills of the Elsa Valley.

The castle was given as a gift for the wedding of his son Fabrizio and his consort Giuliana, and this was the origin of a beautiful story of love and passion for wine. Fabrizio and Giuliana began planting new vineyards and renovating the surrounding farmhouses, aware of the immense value of the land of Chianti Classico. The first Chianti Classico cru was born in 1962, when the first winemaking within the appellation took place. As the years went by, Fabrizio made increasingly revolutionary decisions, choosing to devote himself entirely to Sangiovese: to date, of the 72 hectares of vines owned by the family, 56 are of this precious grape variety. The forest is the cradle of the Castello di Monsanto vineyards, crowned by the Cepparello and Amaioni springs and crisscrossed by aquifers. Respect for nature, its time and space, has always been fundamental, as evidenced by the refusal of any chemical treatment. In 1982 Fabrizio had the construction of a gallery begun, using the medieval technique of wooden ribs to give shape to a very long and evocative lowered Etruscan arch: under these vaults the wines rest, maturing or aging, in a cellar with a bottle history among the most important in Italy.

Since 1996, the management of Castello di Monsanto has passed to the third generation, the Bianchi's family: daughter Laura, who has turned her father's revolutionary choices into a solid tradition of her winery. In light of the techniques taught by her father and the experience handed down by the people of Monsanto, Laura has worked on the identity, recognizability and pleasantness of her wines...emotions and passions encapsulated in fine Chianti.