Fattoria Poggerino
di Piero Lanza
The Fattoria Poggerino
The Fattoria Poggerino, located in Radda in Chianti, is owned by the siblings Benedetta and Piero Lanza. The two are descendants of the old Florentine noble family with the sounding name Prince Ginori Conti. The mother of Piero and Benedetta, Contessa Floriana, inherited the Poggerino estate from her father in the 1970s. Together with her husband Fabrizio Lanza, she started producing Chianti Classico under the Poggerino label in 1980. In 1999 the mother finally handed over the vineyard to the two children.
Red wine & dream vacation in Chianti
Today Piero, who is agronomist and oenologist, take care of the winery - from the smallest vine seedling through the grapes to the bottle - and Benedetta run the Bed & Breakfast belonging to the winery. A very familiar B&B - with beautiful rooms furnished in typical rustic Tuscan style, with a fantastic pool in the middle of a green garden paradise. Benedetta, an excellent cook, also prepares dinner for her guests from time to time. If you have other plans, you should cancel them very quickly - you won't regret it. A dinner from Benedetta is a must not to be missed!
Like an open book
Poggerino, situated in a small "valley in a valley" near Radda in Chianti, covers an area of about 43 hectares, covered with vineyards, olive trees and woods. The relatively sheer, steep slopes, which open like the pages of a book in the direction of Radda, are surrounded by forests. After the sunshine dose during the day over southwest-facing sites, the forests provide the necessary cooling at night – just like a natural air-conditioning system. This microclimate creates a balance between fruit and sweetness in the wine. In total, the vineyards of Poggerino cover an area of 12 hectares - 11 hectares are with Sangiovese at an altitude of 400 to 500 meters, the rest is Merlot. Piero clearly focuses on the autochthonous grape variety of Tuscany. The soil under the Poggerino vineyards is Galestro in a very stony form.
All organic? Of course!
Piero takes it for self-evident that the vineyards and vegetable garden at Poggerino should be managed according to organic principles. And further more the agronomist has repeatedly incorporated individual biodynamic practices into his work in the vineyard. He is deeply convinced that the wine will be good only if the land, the soil and the environment are treated well. The proof of success is not only in terms of wine - numerous awards, perfect evaluations from wine magazines and connoisseurs. But another award for Italy's largest pumpkin has also been won from Stefano Cutrupi, responsible for the gardens and the vegetable garden at Poggerino. The mega organic pumpkin had the fabulous 849 kilos!
The wine range
On the one hand, the Fattoria Poggerino range is a very traditional one: the "Il Labirinto" is a classic IGT from Sangiovese and to a certain extent could be considered as the house wine. They have also a traditionally produced Chianti Classico - also 100% Sangiovese - and a Chianti Classico Riserva called "Bugialla", which matures in large oak barrels. The "Primamateria" is the super tuscan in the assortment and for it are used the Merlot grapes grown at Poggerino. These are mixed with the Sangiovese grapes in a 50:50 ratio.
Innovative from the egg
But Poggerino is also very innovative: for exemple the "Chianti Classico (N)Uovo" matures in a man-sized, 650-litre egg made of cement. What may seem strange at first glance proves to be very innovative at second glance: the cement has all the positive properties of the wood, but also adds a few good characteristics. The result is a sensational Chianti Classico in which the Sangiovese is absolutely perfect. Poggerino also produces a Rosato called "Aurora"- a spumante that also consists only of Sangiovese, as well as an extra virgin olive oil.
