Territorio San Casciano Chianti Classico

THE CHIANTI CLASSICO AREA

The territory has been inhabited since the Etruscan and is dedicated ever since for the production of excellent wine and olive oil. In 1398 we have the first notarial act where the name Chianti is referred to the wine produced in this area. In 1932 a Ministerial Decree defined the Chianti wine area and its borders have remained the same ever since. This decree defined the Chianti Classico area as the “most ancient original territory” giving it a uniqueness: “Classico” meant “the original” to distinguish it to the loosely defined “Chianti” whose borders are outside the Chianti Classico region.

TERROIR AND VINEYARD

The vineyards, planted at the end of the 1980s, are located at an altitude between 190 and 300 metres above sea level. The soil is medium clayey with a good presence of river pebbles that give the wines a good structure. In addition, the soil in this Chianti Classico area is rich in alberese, a compact white limestone, and galestro, a lamellar clayey rock, which are, respectively, responsible for the longevity and the elegance of the wines.

The vines allow for a harvest spread throughout the season, starting with Shyraz and Merlot, moving on to Sangiovese and ending with Cabernet Sauvignon.

The training system is both cordon and Guyot, and the density of cultivation is 3,500 – 5,000 plants per hectare, depending on the area and grape variety. Since the vineyard takes several years to reach its qualitative maturity, we try to replace individual plants – which for various reasons stop producing – without uprooting entire vineyards. This involves a considerable work in order to identify the plants, uprooting and replacing them individually as the best French vignerons do.

GIACOMO TACHIS AND THE BEGINNINGS

The current farm has been created in the mid ‘90ies with the well renowned enologist Giacomo Tachis collaboration. The Carissimo family, in the agricultural business since centuries in Campania and Puglia, after moving to Tuscany in 1997, purchased in 2011 this farm that lays bordering their country house (a ancient stone made house). Immediately after the purchase, Guido Carissimo ha made important investment in the farm to reach its quality goal and company philosophy.

A GREEN WINE FARM

The drive to reduce the environmental impact made realizing investments in the building to enhance thermal insulation (coat inside the cellar and ventilated roof) and with a modern 20 kWp photovoltaic system
The previous staff that has managed to bring the wine to excellent quality level has been hired back: the cellar man Giovanni Celani, the enologist Gioia Cresti and the agronomist Fabio Burroni.

HISTORICAL MAP OF CHIANTI

Chianti classico