Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il Poggio 2015

Cellar for up to 13 years. Decant 1 hour before serving.

Dating back to the mid-19th century, the historic Castello di Monsanto estate is tucked into the hills of the Val d’Elsa on the western side of the Chiant Classico appellation. The property’s modern history dates back to 1960 when it was purchased by Aldo Bianchi. Soon afterwards his visionary son, Fabrizio, introduced a number of pioneering changes to the region including the use of water-cooled fermentation tanks and replacing the traditional chestnut barrels with large Slavonian oak casks.

In 2001 former Ornellaia winemaker Andrea Giovannini joined the talented winemaking team who focus on producing remarkable Chianti wines in a refreshing, elegant style. Il Poggio is their flagship wine and has occupied a special place in the estate’s history since it was the first wine to be produced by Fabrizio from the family’s stunning Il Poggio single vineyard in 1962.

This majestic wine is almost entirely composed of Sangiovese along with a tiny quantity of Colorino and Canaiolo grapes. Only the finest quality fruit is selected from Il Poggio during the harvest with the grapes then fermented in temperature-controlled steel vats. After vinification the young wine is transferred to 500 litre French oak barrels for 18-20 months followed by another two years of ageing in the bottle. This long, slow winemaking process creates an incredibly complex, well-rounded wine with a firm structure and smooth tannins that will age beautifully in the cellar.