Poggio Bonelli

As early as the 16th century, the Poggio Bonelli winery in the extreme south of Chianti Classico began to cultivate wine. Over the centuries, the estate has been owned by various noble families from Siena. At first it was inhabited by the Spennali family. In the second half of the 16th century the estate belonged to the prominent Piccolomini family. Later, the estate passed to the Landucci family. She managed the estate first alone, later with the help of the Croci family until well into the 20th century. The Poggio Bonelli estate started production in 1950. 35 years later, the 810-hectare estate was sold to MPS Tenimenti, the agricultural subsidiary of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest bank in the world.

Today the Poggio Bonelli winery produces not only fine wines of very high quality from the fruits of 8,000 olive trees, but also extra virgin olive oil. On top of that, it runs an agriturismo business. The vineyards cover an area of 83 hectares near Castelnuovo Berardenga. There the wines find their special fullness and strength. The southern and south-western areas are planted with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The berries are strictly selected after harvesting. The soils, which date back to the Pliocene period, are rich in clay, tuff and sand.

A few years ago the restructuring of the vineyard and the winery was completed. New vineyards were planted and old wooden barrels were completely replaced. Production was streamlined to just a few labels. Poggio Bonelli's wines are vinified today in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and later matured mainly in small French oak barrels before being refined in the bottle.

Poggiassai, a cuvée of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, is one of the house's top products. Star oenologist Carlo Ferrini has been on board since 1999. Together with Leonardo Pini, he closely watches over the production. SUPERIORE.DE

"Through a strict vineyard management following modern criteria, the labels of Poggio Bonelli gain an international profile, characterized by great concentration."Gambero Rosso