by Christine Bertoli
‘Far bello il giorno’
Whilst it is true that the team at Corney & Barrow are regularly spoilt when it comes to dealing with exceptional wines, prestigious châteaux and groundbreaking winemakers, we still feel genuine excitement when a producer comes to see us. And when that producer brings charisma and sheer joie de vivre as was the case with Lucia Minoggio, the freshly appointed Cellar Master of Vignamaggio, the team sit up a little straighter. She arrived with six delicious wines and a kind of Tuscan sunlight that illuminated the tasting room.
Lucia Minoggio, Cellar Master
Gran Giardino
Truly special, Vignamaggio is breathtaking. It is one of those places that seems almost too perfectly Tuscan to be real. It is no surprise that Kenneth Branagh chose it as the setting for his film adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in 1993. Adding to its allure, legend whispers that Mona Lisa de’ Gherardini, the woman behind Leonardo’s enigmatic smile, was painted here.
Evidence of the estate’s wine history stretches back to 1404, when Amidio Gherardini signed a document linking the property to wine production. Since then, ownership has passed through several notable hands, each contributing to its agricultural and cultural identity — from the Gherardini family to the Renaissance-era Gherardi family, then later to Gianni Nunziante and now to its current owner, Koos Bekker.
Weaving together history with agriculture — and by extension grape growing and winemaking — is familiar territory for Koos Bekker. His passion for history and horticulture — already evident at Babylonstoren in South Africa and The Newt in Somerset — has guided Vignamaggio’s renaissance. Since 2014, the estate has been restored and reimagined according to the medieval gran giardino concept: a thriving polyculture where vineyards coexist with olive groves, orchards, vegetable gardens, woodlands, and even Cinta Senese pigs. Restaurants and guest houses are dotted over the estate, converted from renovated buildings, perfectly integrated into the landscape. Visitors are encouraged to experience the estate’s produce — wine, olive oil, vegetables, grains, meats — in the very place they are grown.
Chianti Classico. The beating heart
The scale of the property is impressive: driving from one part of the property to another can take a good fifteen minutes. The estate covers 400 hectares with 65 hectares of vineyards located in the Chianti Classico zone of Greve in Chianti. Vignamaggio was one of the 33 founding members of the Chianti Classico Consortium, and its modern direction remains rooted in that historical significance.
Even the labels tell this story. The villa at the top represents hospitality; the geometric garden lines evoke modernity and renewal; the ripples suggest olive trees; the straight lines, grains; and the vineyard motif anchors it all in wine.
A graduate in oenology from the University of Florence with nearly 20 years’ experience in Tuscany, Lucia’s task is to bind these elements into a coherent whole. ‘We want to bring back pieces of the ancient estate’, she explains, ‘through history and connections, to give meaning’. Her dual role as General Manager & Cellar Master involves coordinating agronomic choices, winery decisions and commercial needs. The choice of a wine technician for this strategic position is not circumstantial and underscores the company’s desire to place quality wine production at the heart of its identity.
Viticulture under pressure
The vineyards are predominantly planted with Sangiovese with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malvasia and Trebbiano. Yet, as Lucia points out, Sangiovese is far from uniform: clonal variation and site expression are critical. ‘There is no single Sangiovese,’ she insists.
Since 2014, the estate has undergone organic conversion across all its agricultural holdings, positioning sustainable practices as integral to the estate’s philosophy. But organic farming alone cannot solve the challenges of climate change.
Lucia is candid about the tension: ‘Customers want lower alcohol. Climate change wants the opposite’. How can you reconcile the two? With irrigation off the table, the team places greater emphasis on meticulous viticulture — canopy management, soil analysis, and precise harvest timing to balance sugar accumulation with phenolic maturity.
Some discoveries are unexpected. One vineyard, uprooted for replanting, revealed a hidden lake underground. Others are sobering: Merlot, for instance, may prove increasingly ill-suited to the region’s heat, while Sangiovese continues to demonstrate resilience. As Lucia observes with pragmatism, there is no single solution, only ongoing adjustments informed by observation and experience.
Since 2020, under the guidance of consultant winemaker Barbara Tamburini, winemaking has moved towards lighter extraction, favouring balance and elegance and emphasising site-specific character. This direction suits both Sangiovese and contemporary palates.
The Wines
The tasting opened with Terre di Prenzano Chianti Classico 2022. Named after Vignamaggio’s Renaissance villa in Prenzano, this Chianti Classico captures the purity of Sangiovese. Aged in large oak barrels, soft tannins and moderate acidity frame notes of blueberries, plums, vanilla, and spice, leading to a lingering finish.
Chianti Classico Riserva Gherardino 2022 came next. This wine was named after Gherardo dei Gherardini, the father of the illustrious lineage that built Vignamaggio. It shows red cherry and raspberry with dried violet, tobacco and sweet spice, supported by bright acidity and fine tannins.
We then explored two vintages of the Monna Lisa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, which Vignamaggio only produces in the strongest years. Gran Selezione is the pinnacle of Chianti Classico quality, introduced in 2014, and reserved for estate-grown grapes from single vineyards or the estate’s best selections. Made from a minimum 90% Sangiovese, it requires at least 30 months of ageing and offers superior organoleptic quality.
Vignamaggio’s Gran Selezione 2017 and 2019 are both are made from Sangiovese with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. They are full-bodied and enjoy beautifully integrated tannins, with a steady acidity that gives the wines a certain crunchiness and highlights the fruit. 2017 was a challenging vintage with very low yields. The wine is rich and surprisingly elegant, given the dry conditions of the growing season. Red florals, black fruit, mint, tobacco, and anise sit alongside firm yet integrated tannins. 2019 was a cooler year and expresses notes of ripe cherries and redcurrants with savoury herbs and ground spices.
A notable inclusion was the Cabernet Franc Toscana IGT 2019. Popularised in Tuscany with the arrival of the Super Tuscan movement of the 1980s, Cabernet Franc has in fact been grown in the region for over 500 years, ever since Catherine de’ Medici brought it back from France in the 16th century. This validates Lucia’s point, questioning at what point do so-called ‘international’ varieties become ‘local’? In Vignamaggio’s case, their Cabernet grapes were rediscovered by chance on 40-year-old vines in the 1990s. The wine dances on the palate. Aged for 20 months in French oak, it offers mesmerising aromas of crushed blueberries, black currants, mint, sage, and sweet red pepper.
The tasting concluded with the Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2017, produced from white grape varietals Malvasia Lunga del Chianti and Trebbiano Toscano. Vinsanto is a Chianti tradition. After drying for three months, the grapes are gently pressed and the must is sealed in oak barrels encased in concrete for five years. The result is a golden wine with coppery highlights, balancing sweetness with acidity and offering flavours of baked apricot, burnt caramel and honey.
A final word
Listening to Lucia for just over an hour, one senses her affection for Vignamaggio, her respect for its wines, and her clear-eyed realism. The challenges are evident — climate variability, shifting consumer preferences. But Vignamaggio is no sleeping giant. Under Lucia’s stewardship and Koos Bekker’s vision, the estate is moving with purpose.
The estate’s motto, far bello il giorno, invites us to ‘make each day beautiful’, whether through a glass of wine, a shared meal or simply pausing to admire the view.
A rather lovely way to start the week.