Badia a Coltibuono

About 1,000 years ago the Benedictine monks of Vallombrosa founded Badia a Coltibuono ("Abbey of the Good Harvest") as a place of peace and reflection. Situated north of the Tuscan wine-growing village of Gaiole, the hamlet, beautifully embedded in the wooded hills of the southern Chianti Classico region, still presents itself today almost as it did in the Middle Ages.

The tradition-conscious family of today's owner Emanuela Stucchi-Prinetti has been at home on Badia a Coltibuono since 1846. The first-class wines of the Bastion of the Tuscan Terroir enjoy the appreciation of wine experts from all over the world and are guided in wine guides with first-class ratings. The cellarer is Emanuela's brother Roberto Stucchi-Prinetti, who cultivates autochthonous grape varieties with great passion and skill. His brothers Paolo and Guido also dignifiedly continue the work that their ancestors - a Florentine banking family - had begun. Sister Emanuela was the first woman to be elected President of the Consorzio del Marchio Storico del Chianti Classico in 2000. Her mother Lorenza de Medici is probably the most famous Italian chef.

The grapes of Badia a Coltibuono grow at an altitude of between 250 and 320 metres on southern, south-eastern and south-western sites in the immediate vicinity of the abbey. The vineyards are planted with Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Trebbiano and Malvasia. Roberto and his sister regularly manage to get the best out of the berries. The vines are all grown organically.

The potential of Badia a Coltibuono should not be exhausted for a long time yet, as the new winery in Monti, which takes into account the needs of modern wine production, promises even more outstanding results in the future. SUPERIORE.DE