Castello Pomino | Frescobaldi

As the hills of Tuscany east of Florence become steeper and vineyards increasingly give way to forests, fir trees and chestnuts, the wines change too. Castello Pomino lies in a landscape that has little in common with the familiar image of sun-drenched Tuscan vineyards. The vines climb to around 700 metres – elevations where pronounced differences between day and night temperatures and intense light conditions set the rhythm.

This is precisely what makes Pomino so distinctive within Frescobaldi. While Sangiovese defines many of the other estates, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Nero have been part of the identity here for generations. White wine and sparkling wine are not merely additions to a red-wine portfolio, but an essential part of the estate's character.

A small appellation with a remarkably rich history

As early as 1716, Pomino was among the Tuscan areas expressly recognised by Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici as particularly suitable for producing great wines. Together with Chianti and other historic wine-growing areas, Pomino was thus territorially defined at a remarkably early stage – long before modern controlled designations of origin existed.

The reason for this special status lies in its location. The vineyards extend towards the first wooded foothills of the Apennines, surrounded by firs, chestnuts and even sequoias. Altitude, brightness and pronounced day-night temperature differences prolong the ripening period and encourage the aromatic precision that gives Pomino's wines their distinctive character.

In the 19th century, this particular identity took a new direction. Leonia degli Albizi, the Burgundy-born wife of Angiolo Frescobaldi, introduced important innovations to Pomino in the middle of the century. She had a gravity-flow cellar built and embraced Chardonnay and Pinot Nero at an early stage – grape varieties that were anything but commonplace in Tuscany at the time.

Chardonnay and Pinot Nero, the Tuscan way

The great strength of Castello Pomino lies in making these international grape varieties feel entirely at home. Chardonnay and Pinot Nero have been cultivated here for well over a century and have long since become part of the character of the place.

Pomino Bianco offers the accessible introduction to this world. Benefizio takes the Chardonnay concept further and represents the estate's most ambitious expression of white wine. Pinot Nero follows the same logic from the red side: in Pomino's elevated vineyards, the variety finds the cooler conditions that suit it, without the resulting wine having to deny its Tuscan origins.

The sandstone-rich soils also play their part and, according to Frescobaldi, contribute especially to the elegance and complexity of Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. The individual wines therefore do not need to compete in terms of power. Their common denominator is instead the interplay of ripeness, freshness and fine aromatic tension.

Leonia – when Pomino's altitude becomes bubbles

It is almost a natural progression that this story leads to Metodo Classico. With Leonia, Castello Pomino uses Chardonnay and Pinot Nero for another stylistic expression that feels entirely at home here. A long growing season, cool nights and grapes whose freshness can be preserved until harvest create precisely the conditions that are also attractive for high-quality sparkling wines.

The name Leonia is no coincidence. Frescobaldi explicitly understands the range as a tribute to Leonia degli Albizi and her unusual openness to new ideas. Brut, Rosé and further Metodo Classico interpretations carry this historical connection into the present.

Castello Pomino therefore has a distinctly individual voice within Frescobaldi. This is neither about Brunello nor Chianti, neither the power of a great Tuscan red nor another interpretation of Sangiovese. Pomino tells a story of altitude, coolness and exceptionally long experience with Chardonnay and Pinot Nero.

That is precisely what makes this comparatively small area so fascinating. Its history reaches far back, yet its wines do not feel like historical quotations. Castello Pomino instead demonstrates that tradition can sometimes mean trying something new at an early stage – and then working with it long enough for it to become a natural part of the place. SUPERIORE.DE