Il Poggio Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. Gran Selezione
It was Il Poggio vineyard, way back in 1962, that heralded the start of Castello di Monsanto’s journey in wine production, with the first harvest overseen by founder Fabrizio Bianchi. Still to this day, the company’s most iconic bottle, Il Poggio, is the first Chianti Classico to feature the name of the specific vineyard from which it comes. White grapes were removed from the recipe in 1968. Il Poggio is the source – thanks to massal selection – of all the Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiolo vines in the winery’s other vineyards. Over 100,00 bottles have been produced and all of them spend time aging in the castle’s historic cellar, showcasing the wine’s stunning capacity for aging.
Designation
Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. Gran Selezione
First year of production
1962
Grape varieties
95% Sangiovese; 5% Canaiolo and Colorino
Training system
Guyot and spurred cordon
Vinification
In temperature-controlled truncated conical steel vats with emptying system (Délestage) and pumping over for about 20/22 days
Maturazione o invecchiamento
In 500 litre French oak casks, some new and some second passage, for 18/20 months
Ageing
Two years of bottle aging
Climate trend
2014 was one of the most particular vintages of the decade. The winter was very hot, the average temperatures were far above normal by around 5° C and rainfall was also abundant throughout the winter. Budding came early, given the abundant rainfall during the winter months and the mild temperatures of the spring months. Many buds had already blossomed by late March, early April. The months of May and June were quite normal: average temperatures without excessive rainfall. July and August were slightly cooler months than usual, often characterized by afternoon showers. In the summer months we worked a lot on green management, trying to maintain a good leaf wall on the aerial part of the plant so as to have excellent photosynthesis, while the bunches were directly exposed to the sun, and we did manual defoliation on both sides of the row. This helped allow good circulation of the wind, reaching the bunches, and both sides’ direct exposure to the sun, to minimize the onset of mould. During the harvest there was scrupulous checkingl of the bunches, eliminating any not in perfect condition, and in many vineyards we made a double harvest. The month of October returned to normal, with windy days and pleasant temperatures, the harvest took place as predicted and we picked the last grapes on October 10th.
