Barone Ricasoli

The Ricasoli family has been involved in winemaking since 1141, when, according to written sources, it already owned Brolio Castle. This makes the estate one of the oldest wine-producing estates in the world. Furthermore, it is the largest producer in the Chianti Classico region, as well as the place where the recipe for ‘Chianti’ wine was first recorded.

History

The family featured amongst the feudal nobility at the court of Charlemagne and, for several centuries, defended Florence against Siena from Brolio Castle. By the end of the 17th century, they were exporting wine to Amsterdam and England, and by the beginning of the 20th century, wines from Brolio were being shipped from China to Guatemala.

The most prominent figure is Bettino Ricasoli, the ‘Iron Baron’, who served twice as Prime Minister of the newly unified Italy. In 1872, he formulated the recipe for Chianti, the wine now known as Chianti Classico.

Francesco Ricasoli has managed the estate since 1993, when he bought it back after the family had sold it in the post-war years. He redesigned and replanted the vineyards, and the clonal selection of the ‘Brolio’ Sangiovese variety is one of his particular passions.

Vineyards

The estate covers an area of 1,200 hectares in Gaiole in Chianti, of which nearly 240 hectares are vineyards and 26 hectares are olive groves. The remainder consists of hills, valleys, and oak and chestnut woods. The vines grow at altitudes ranging from approximately 220 to 500 metres on a variety of soils, which enables the estate to produce such a wide range of wines from a single estate.

Grape varieties

Primarily Sangiovese, complemented by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaking

The vineyards are cultivated without the use of chemicals: cover crops are used to protect against erosion, whilst weather stations and disease spread models are employed to minimise the number of sprayings. In the cellar, particular attention is paid to ageing the harvest from each plot separately, so that the distinctive characteristics of the soils are preserved in the bottle.

Wines

‘Chianti Classico’ and ‘Riserva’ under the ‘Brolio’ label, several wines from the ‘Gran Selezione’ range, including the single-varietal ‘Colle D’Ilia’, ‘Roncocone’ and ‘Ceni Primo’, the flagship wine ‘Castello di Brolio’, as well as a Merlot called ‘Casalferro’.