Montenidoli is an estate of 200 hectares of woods on the hill above San Gimignano, facing the Chianti Classico. Elisabetta Fagiuoli is its host and guiding figure. Her family came to the land in 1965, when it was abandoned.
The hill splits the wines by soil. The whites grow on the lower slope, 250 to 400 meters up, in sandy, calcareous ground made of shell remains. The reds grow higher, at 400 to 600 meters, in red mineral soil over cavernous Triassic rock. Sangiovese is the main red grape. Olive trees grow alongside the vines, including Moraiolo and Correggiolo.
The Triassico red is vinified separately, aged in wood and bottled in magnums. Its sales support the Fondazione Sergio il Patriarca, which is part of the estate's work. Sergio led the family through difficult times, and after he died the family built the Montenidoli family around him.
Not tasted yet
I haven't reviewed a wine from Montenidoli yet. They're on my Top 100 list, which is built from awards.