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The medieval village of Castello d’Albola rises on the top of the splendid Chianti hills, in Radda, in the province of Siena – a landscape blessed by ancient charm, often a true inspiration in world of art, and most unique in its harmonious mix of agriculture and pristine nature.

The local Zonin property was acquired in 1979, while it used to belong to several of the noblest families of Tuscany. Ever since its recent acquisition, the famous Italian winemaking company has always strived to preserve, respect and benefit from such a priceless stretch of land, extremely suitable for vine cultivation. After restoring the vineyards to guarantee the highest quality of the grapes, the farmhouses and the splendid XVI century villa were improved as well, painstakingly preserving their original medieval features. A new wine cellar was also built, perfectly and sensibly integrated with the surrounding landscape.

Later on, both the farm and the vineyard were expanded, thus reaching a total of 2.223 acres, 370 of which are planted with vines and 4.000 olive trees (Olea europaea L.).

The vineyards that surround the village of Castello d’Albola are a truly natural and agricultural heritage featuring the peculiar “plant” amphitheatre in Chianti Classico territory; the historic vineyards, such as “Ellere”, “Marangole”, and “Acciaiolo” grow at an altitude between 1.148 and 1.804 ft above sea level and are exposed to the sunlight throughout the day, from sunrise to sunset.

The main grape is Sangiovese, called “Sangioveto” in antiquity: a large-berried grape with late-ripening, so the harvest takes place in the first weeks of October. Vines are trained with the spurred cordon and guyot techniques, on soils rich in alberese limestone and the marlstone – which guarantee excellent rainwater drainage. Castello d’Albola is, in fact, considered the archetypal Chianti Classico vineyard.

Beyond the vineyards, there are woods of oaks (Quercus pubescens), and a few towering cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens) surrounded by beautiful olive groves where the “Frantoio”, “Leccino”, and “Moraiolo” cultivars are grown.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)