Winemaker Notes
Tenuta San Vito lies in the hills of the Chianti Colli Fiorentini, 18 kilometers from Florence. The estate has always been characterized by high-quality agricultural products combined with a deep respect for the environment and for protecting the health of the land. The property includes 30 hectares of vines, 20 hectares of olive groves and 100 hectares of forest, which surrounds the entire estate serving as a buffer against its neighbors.
The modern history of Tenuta San Vito began when Roberto Drighi purchased this land in 1960. By 1980 his daughter Laura came to recognize the negative impact of chemical treatments on the land and their produce. A trained psychologist, she overcame her father’s and his staff’s initial opposition and convinced them that organic farming was the way. Today this commitment is carried forward by Neri Gazulli, who is now in charge of the property.
Since 1982 San Vito has been cultivating its crops in accordance with organic principles, producing its wines and olive oils without any use of weed-killers, pesticides, or synthetic chemical treatments. They are one of the very first properties in Tuscany to adopt organic viticulture, and from 1985 on, all of San Vito's products have been certified organic. While vineyards that have recently been converted to organic from conventional farming can sometimes harbor small amounts of chemicals for several years after conversion, nearly four decades of steadfast organic cultivation means there are no longer any traces of chemical treatments in the soil or vines here.
Over the years, the spurred cordon method of vine training has replaced the older Guyot system, allowing the adoption of more modern vineyard management practices. The wines are fermented in stainless-steel vats and aged in Slavonian and French oak, as well as some glass-lined concrete vats. Attilio Pagli, San Vito's current winemaker, was born in Tuscany and pursued his professional studies in Italy; his numerous contacts on the international scene allowed him to deepen his oenological experience. Pagli carefully oversees every step of the harvest, wine making, and ageing of the wines.
Famous for its food-friendly, approachable red wines and their storied history, Chianti is perhaps the best-known wine region of Italy. This appellation within Tuscany has it all: sweeping views of rolling hills, endless vineyards, the warm Mediterranean sun, hearty cuisine and a rich artistic heritage. Chianti includes seven subzones: Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Rufina, Montalbano, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Colli Aretini and Montespertoli, with area beyond whose wines can be labeled simply as Chianti.
However the best quality comes from Chianti Classico, in the heart of the Chianti zone, which is no longer a subzone of the region at all but has been recognized on its own since 1996. The Classico region today is delimited by the confines of the original Chianti zone protected since the 1700s.
Chianti wines are made primarily of Sangiovese, with other varieties comprising up to 25-30% of the blend. Generally, local varieties are used, including Canaiolo, Colorino and Mammolo, but international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are allowed as long as they are grown within the same zone.
Basic, value-driven Chianti wine is simple and fruit-forward and makes a great companion to any casual dinner. At its apex, Chianti is full bodied but with good acidity, firm tannins, and notes of tart red fruit, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic and tobacco. Chianti Riserva, typically the top bottling of a producer, can benefit handsomely from a decade or two of cellaring.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.