Sustainability: An Ethical Legacy

At Castello di Monsanto, sustainability is not just a practice but an ethical legacy, passed down from generation to generation. It reflects a commitment to the present by protecting the environment, natural resources, and social and cultural heritage, fueled by the Bianchi family's dedication and boundless love for their land.

Guardians of the Environment

The first and most crucial step in protecting, preserving, and honoring the environment is to understand it deeply. From this intimate knowledge comes a broader perspective, revealing the paths to a journey of continuous, dynamic growth. This is a daily challenge where patience is sustained by confidence in our actions. Embracing sustainability as a guiding principle means more than just protection and enhancement; it involves a commitment to purposeful actions that, each day, contribute to shaping a better future, always mindful of the profound legacy we are privileged to uphold.

Soil Stewardship

Soil is a living, precious resource. At Castello di Monsanto, the art of tending to the land is practiced with great care and precision. Herbicides are not used for weed control; instead, weeds growing amidst the vine rows are managed exclusively through mechanical methods. Soil fertility is nurtured through the cultivation of cover crops—verdant gardens that teem with life and vitality.

Protecting Plant Health

Our approach is centered on careful monitoring, based on data collection and analysis, which serves as the foundation for planning interventions in the vineyards. This integrated system of assessing each vineyard’s unique condition prevents unnecessary treatments, allowing for precise, calibrated action. With a clear vision, we embrace proactive strategies, employing targeted agronomic practices and natural remedies to stimulate the plant’s own defenses.

Energy

At Castello di Monsanto, 100% of our electricity is sourced from entirely renewable origins. Our primary energy source is an 81 kWp solar panel system installed in 2023, while the remaining energy needed to meet residual demands is certified EKOENERGY.
Our commitment to using solely renewable energy is as crucial as minimizing its consumption, through integrated actions that ensure continuous improvement in our carbon footprint.
For instance, we reduce transportation distances during the harvest and processing of grapes by strategically locating our collection area. The winery’s design leverages natural temperature regulation and ventilation. For packaging, we prioritize environmentally low-impact materials, such as lightweight bottles and FSC-certified cartons.

Social sustanaibility

At Castello di Monsanto, our commitment extends beyond the surrounding environment to encompass the well-being of every individual. The estate is a welcoming space, where everyone feels comfortable, respected, and supported. This ethos is based on the firm belief that people are essential to the success of any project, and it must be recognized, shared, and valued by everyone involved.

Diversity without Boundaries

At Castello di Monsanto, our most invaluable resources are the people who breathe life into our vision. We foster an inclusive work environment that upholds equality, rejecting all forms of discrimination, and carefully addresses the unique needs of each team member.

Ensuring equal opportunities is not a new initiative but a reflection of our deep-seated and fundamental values. Laura Bianchi champions this ethos daily, taking pride in leading a team where traditionally underrepresented groups, such as women, have long been a vital force within our entire endeavor.
True transformation starts with the power of imagery and the impact of words. For Castello di Monsanto and the wider wine industry, sharing this deeply rooted philosophy is not just a responsibility but a guiding light. We hope that current and future generations will adopt these new certainties as their own, paving the way forward with lasting values.

Support for Foreign Families

For more than two decades, Castello di Monsanto has devoted itself to supporting families from abroad who work with us. Integration means valuing cultural diversity, with the belief that personal fulfillment, well-being, and the satisfaction of each individual contribute to the success of the entire winery.

International Solidarity Projects

Nothing is more important than the values and principles we hold in common. At Castello di Monsanto, we embrace international solidarity through initiatives such as Working for Wasa in Tanzania. This noble endeavor was championed by Giulia Cecchi, daughter of Laura Bianchi, who, in 2016, served with Students for Humanity in Iringa. There, she contributed to hands-on teaching and activities designed to empower local communities toward self-sufficiency. Castello di Monsanto continues to actively support and nurture such transformative initiatives.

Landscape and Beauty

The landscape is not just a backdrop for our work; it is a valued resource and shared heritage. To honor it is to protect its integral elements—forests and verdant spaces, the very breath of biodiversity—while gracefully integrating them into our cultivated fields and architecture.
For any human intervention to be truly sustainable, it must pursue a delicate harmony between the new and the existing, between nature and culture. This balance preserves the beauty of the past while ensuring it is accessible through the utmost respect. At Castello di Monsanto, every touch upon the natural or architectural landscape is guided by the principle that we are, above all, stewards of beauty.

Forest Stewardship

The estate's vast expanse, spanning around 100 hectares, is predominantly forested. This woodland is not just a picturesque frame but the very soul of an intricate ecosystem, where plant and animal species coexist in harmony. Here, wild cypress, turkey oak, holm oak, and Mediterranean scrub varieties are cataloged and protected through a forest management plan. This plan involves continuous monitoring and the creation of targeted strategies to protect and nurture the delicate balance of this ecosystem.

Biodiversity

Envisioning the future involves not just protecting but actively engaging in daily efforts to mitigate the risks of natural depletion caused by monoculture. In this spirit, our commitment to forest protection is complemented by a concerted effort to enrich biodiversity. This includes nurturing the estate’s marginal areas with a diverse array of trees and other plants. These additions enhance the micro-ecosystem, providing shelter for animal species and other forms of life, all crucial to the pursuit of sustainable viticulture.

Cultivating Beauty

The concept of "landscape" is intricate and dynamic, evolving through the interaction between human presence and environmental resources, and the balance between culture and nature.
It is not the absence of human intervention that renders the landscape unique; rather, it is the multitude of actions contributing to its harmony—from the thoughtful design of cultivated areas to the architectural choices we make.
Restoring historic buildings and ancient dry stone walls, preserving internal pathways, and selecting construction materials that honor the local topography and historical heritage are among the enduring commitments of Castello di Monsanto. Through our continually evolving efforts of restoration, maintenance, and enhancement, we dedicate ourselves to cultivating beauty and ensuring that the landscape thrives.

Terroir

An exceptional wine captures the essence of its origin in every sip. It embodies both nature and culture, deeply connected to the concept of terroir—an intricate resource that goes beyond geography. Terroir is a unique and complex system shaped by the interplay of soil, climate, grape varieties, and, most importantly, the human touch.
In this delicate dance of elements, humanity's role is to harmonize and give voice to each component, allowing every bottle to serve as a gateway to a singular land, culture, and history. At Castello di Monsanto, crafting wine is a profound responsibility: to honor and preserve the terroir by interpreting, listening to, and celebrating our environment with a devotion that draws from the past, understands the present, and safeguards the future.

Site Planning

Sustainability demands a vision imbued with intent. At Castello di Monsanto, our commitment starts with attentive listening: understanding the needs of a plant, the specifics of geographical site, and the surrounding environmental factors. This ensures that every decision is a harmonious dance with nature, never an imposition.
Our team of agronomists and enologists plays a pivotal role, expertly calibrating intervention and selecting the most fitting genetic material—clones and rootstocks. This thoughtful approach honors the natural predispositions of the site, aiming to minimize resource use in the future.

Selection of Genetic Material

Diversity represents both value and uniqueness, and it is a fundamental principle at Castello di Monsanto. For many years, we have been dedicated to massal selection projects, carefully analyzing and selecting plants to keep in nurseries for future vineyards. This approach fosters biodiversity, promoting the genetic variability of our vineyards and avoiding the uniformity that comes from relying solely on individual clones.

Cultural Sustainability

At the heart of sustainability lies the stewardship of resources, preserving them as a legacy for future generations. This is why Laura Bianchi lovingly refers to "cultural sustainability" when speaking of the archive of historical vintages at Castello di Monsanto. Since the first vintage in 1962, each bottle not only reflects the estate’s heritage, the quality of its wines, and the enduring spirit of Sangiovese, but also serves as a living record of Chianti Classico’s history.
As one of the most extensive historical collections in Italy, this archive is more than a repository; it is a dynamic record that, each year, adds the story of a new vintage, eagerly awaiting to be shared.