Poggerino is an estate winery in Radda-in-Chianti in the Chianti Classico DOCG region of Tuscany, Italy. Poggerino is one of the properties on what was once a much larger estate which used to belong to Prince Ginori Conti, a descendant of one of Florence’s oldest families. Floriana Ginori Conti inherited the winery from her father in 1973, and in 1980 began (with her husband Fabrizio Lanza), to produce a Chianti Classico under the “Poggerino” label. The couple started with 5 hectares and three ‘poderi‘ (land units with a stone farmhouse). Her brother (Piero’s uncle) had sold his share of the vineyards to Zonin 1821 (see Castello di Albola). In 1999 Floriana handed the property to her two children, Piero and Benedetta Lanza. They had begun managing it since 1988. Her son Piero Lanza Ginori now runs the estate. It comprises 43 hectares (106 acres) of land in total, including vineyards, olive groves and woods, the stone farmhouses mentioned above (now rented as tourist accommodation) and a 12th century church.

Owner: Piero Lanza Ginori. Speaks English. Qualified oenologist. Met him at a Malcolm Gluck tasting at Muratie, South Africa in 2003. He started making wine at his mother’s property in Radda in 1988 and took over [aged 20], with his sister, in 1999. Piero started using conventional methods (systemics, herbicides, fertilizer) but moved to organics. Everything is done in house.

Vineyards, wine production: 2006 11 hectares (28 acres) of vines. Mainly Sangiovese, some Merlot. | 2015 11.3ha producing 60,000 bottles (Gambero Rosso: 2015).

Terroir: South-south-west facing rocky slopes. Very stoney soils, steep, hard to work, slow. The highest vines are at 520 metres. The Merlot is at around 350 metres. 20ºC day-night temperature differences, a combination of altitude and the cooling effect of the surrounding forest.

Viticulture: Ginori rolls the shoots over the top wire to avoid trimming which induces stop-start vine growth, and the production of more water shoots. This is an added stress for the vines living in extreme conditions – very cold springs, then very hot and dry summers, or sudden heavy rain as they are already having to stop-start.

Biodynamics: 2013 Converting to Biodynamics. | 2016 Piero was buying his Biodynamic preparations from BioDynamie Services in France.

Olive trees: Yes.

Organic certification: 2012 First vintage with full organic certification.

Winemaking: Piero told me on 06th October 2016 ‘I use very light new oak. My wines are allergic to new oak. I want the taste of the land to the fore. From 2011 I went more towards larger oak vats for less oak flavour and for a slower evolution of the wine.’

Sparkling wines

Sangiovese Metodo Classico: Traditional method sparkling wine.

Red wines

Chianti Classico DOCG: 2013 100% Sangiovese. Aged in botti (2,000-2,500-litres) and 400-500-litre tonneaux. | 2016 100% Sangiovese. 40,000 bottles. Lovely purity and balance, elegant, integrated tannin, lovely wild cherry aftertaste; moreish (Anteprima 2018). | 2020 100% Sangiovese. Really classic, fresh, clear and in a traditional style (Anteprima 2022). 

Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva, Bugialla: From galestro soils. For a period this was bottled as a Vino da Tavola or IGT but reverted back to the Chianti Classico DOCG. | 2001 Bottled. | 2013 Bottled. | 2016 100% Sangiovese. 10,000 bottles. Lovely wild sappy fruit, intensity and balance. Very young still (Anteprima 2019). | 2017 100% Sangiovese, small bunches only (6 clones, planted 1994). Aged 24m in Slavonian oak vats for 25 months. V nice texture, complex tannins (Anteprima 2020). | 2019 25m in 25hl botti. Very well structured( Anteprima 2022).

IGT Toscana Rosso, Primamateria: Merlot, Sangiovese, younger vines.

Agritourism

Stone farmhouses (‘case caloniche’) to rent.

Contact

Fattoria Poggerino

Loc. Poggerino

53017 Radda in Chianti (SI), Italy

Tel+39 0577.738232 or 738958 | Website: See here.