Monteraponi

Monteraponi is an ancient medieval village, lying on the top of the hillock of the same name, of very ancient foundation and property of Count Ugo in the late 10th century: marquis and governor of Tuscany, by deed of gift he assigned it to the abbey he himself founded in Poggio Martori, the present areal of Poggibonsi Alto. The central structure has remained virtually intact and is characterized by the presence of a square-based tower, probably the lord's residence: well preserved and still visible are the peculiar 12th-century archivolts, as well as the astonishing underground cellars, surmounted by a wide, single-vaulted ceiling and still a resting place for the bottles produced. Today's winery was founded in 1974 by the Braganti family, who, coming from the silverware industry, recovered and renovated the derelict site. Since 1998, the new generation represented by Michele, now flanked by his wife Alessandra, began somewhat by chance to take care of the vineyards, until they completely immersed themselves in their passion for the land and wine and resorted to the collaboration of capable Italian and French wine technicians.

Today, the Monteraponi estate extends over a total area of 200 hectares, 12 of which are reserved for vineyards: scattered over an area populated by olive groves, oak and chestnut forests and lying along slopes that reach as high as 570 meters above sea level, they draw a south-facing amphitheater within the magnificent Chianti Classico territory, in the area of the municipality of Radda. The soils are poor and characterized by the presence of alberese, the local very hard limestone with remarkable draining capacity: the vines, managed under certified organic farming, sink their roots for several meters in search of nutrients. The varieties grown are emblematic of the terroir: Sangiovese, above all, flanked by the historic comprimarios Canaiolo and Colorino, while the white berries are represented by Trebbiano, with a share of Malvasia. The share of internationals is reserved for Merlot.

Monteraponi pursues very delicate processing, so as to safeguard the integrity of the fruit and thus of the entire aromatic complement. Manual harvesting brings healthy, ripe grapes to the winery, which are further selected and sent to traditional-style vinification, with fermentation in cement tanks and aging in oak barrels of various sizes from Austria and Burgundy. The flagship label is the supertuscan Baron'Ugo.