Gattavecchi Chianti Colli Senesi 1997

The Gattavecchi family has owned this boutique estate for the past century, but the winery itself goes back to the 1200s, when it was part of a friary.

ts present 18 acres of ancient volcanic terrain, southerly exposed at an altitude of 350-550 meters, produce impeccable, traditionally crafted Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti Colli Senesi, Rosso di Montepulciano, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

The man behind the wines is Valente Gattavecchi. His motto is "Faccio tutto con il palato", meaning his guideline is the palate: Valente has that quiet assurance deriving from a lifetime's instinct and experience.

The groundwork here is intuition, tradition, quality, family - only the severest standards are implemented, and every facet of production is supervised by the Gattavecchi family (notably Valente himself, and his son Luca).