Vignamaggio Chianti Classico Monna Lisa Riserva 1998

Vignamaggio is one of Tuscany’s oldest farming estates: a working farm since 1404, Vignamaggio has been cultivating grapes and making wine for over 600 years and it is today one of the leading wineries in the Greve in Chianti subzone.

Located in Greve, halfway between Florence and Siena, the estate extends for over 250 hectares (approx 62 planted to vines) in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. The entire farm is certified organic. At the core of the estate is the Renaissance Villa surrounded by Italian-style gardens, rows of cypresses, vines and olive groves (30ha). The Villa at Vignamaggio was was built by the Gherardini family in the 14th Century. If this family name sounds familiar, it is probably because of the famous Monna Lisa Gherardini, the “Gioconda” painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506. Legend has it that Lisa Gherardini spent her childhood and teenage years at Vignamaggio, the home of her cousins, the Gherardis, who owned the villa from 1421.

Throughout the centuries, the estates had several owners. More recently, in 1988 the property went through an extensive renovation of the buildings and gardens. The historic wine cellars, located below the villa, were equipped with state-of-the-art temperature-controlled stainless- steel vats and several investments were made in replanting and updating the vineyards as well.