Villa Cerna ‘Primocolle’ Chianti Classico 2020

Description

Cecchi Winery was founded in 1893 by Luigi Cecchi in a small Tuscan village called Poggibonsi. Cecchi, a well-known enologist and entrepreneur, saw the great growth potential for first-rate Tuscan wine and carefully laid the foundation for a family business that has thrived for well over a century.

During the 1950s Luigi’s grandson (also named Luigi) had the foresight to buy several of the best properties in Tuscany and the family soon began bottling wines under the Cecchi name. By the 1970s, with their roots digging deeply into the acclaimed Chianti Classico area, the Cecchis built a state-of-the-art winery in Castellina in Chianti, a small comune of about 2,800 residents that is considered one of the most exceptional areas in Tuscany for growing sangiovese.

Since 2004, fourth generation brothers Andrea and Cesare have been running the family business, now comprised of estates in several areas of Tuscany: Maremma, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Montalcino, as well as one vineyard in the region of Umbria, in Montefalco.

The Cecchi family champions sustainable winemaking and considers protecting the beautiful environment and landscape to be an important part of working in the agricultural sector. The land should be protected and farming should be respectful. Sustainability for them is not just agricultural but it is also an approach they take when looking to the future of winemaking.

Luigi Cecchi purchased Villa Cerna in 1962, during a key rebuilding moment for Chianti Classico. This was the first of the Cecchi Family’s estate purchases. Over the past 60+ years they have reorganized and revitalized the vineyards, undertaking meticulous environmental research to identify the ideal clones for the local soil types and microclimates of the property. The soil here dates back to the Pilocene era and includes a mix of clay, limestone, yellow sand, calcareous marine fossils. The swooping valley that leads up to Castellina in Chianti provides ideal sun exposure for the vineyards of Villa Cerna, of which almost 95% are Sangiovese.
Visitors traveling from Siena into Chianti Classico are greeted by the historic site of Villa Cerna as they cross the first hill into the famed sub-region. The villa itself is an old monastery, dating back to the 11th century CE. The monks that lived on the land tended to the surrounding vineyards and agriculture, including 1001 olive trees planted in the year 1001 to celebrate the new millennium. In fact, some of these trees still produce fruit that go into Villa Cerna’s aptly-named olive oil, “Milleuno.” Villa Cerna’s Primocolle Chianti Classico is so named as it is the ‘first hill’ that you encounter when leaving Siena, heading north into Chianti.   Importer Notes.

Review of 2017:

93 points, James Suckling “The rock star of the Villa Cerna lineup… this is an every day wine for people that have been or want to go to Italy. Take 2 bottles… You’ll open it as you prepare dinner and need a second bottle by the time you’re seated. A blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Colorino.”

RRP $49  Our Special Price $40.99  when you buy 6 or more of this wine