Castell`in Villa

Castell’in Villa is owned by the formidable Princess Coralia Pignatelli. The estate – a former military outpost of Siena in the middle ages – is over 300 hectares in total, and the 45 hectares under vine were all planted by Coralia and her late husband after buying the property in 1968. Her philosophy is straight forward – she makes wine that she likes, irrespective of commercial fads and with as little intervention as possible. She only releases her wines when she thinks they are ready – the Chianti Classico is aged for longer in wood than any other non riserva Chianti. It was the 2010 Riserva that really stood out when we visited – luckily she still had a little bit left. The single vineyard Poggio delle Rose Riserva has the power to age for decades but also demonstrates incredible finesse and balance, especially in a warm vintage like 2009.