Collection: Villa Calcinaia

With its 30 hectares of vineyards, the Conti Capponi family has been producing internationally recognized and appreciated wines since the beginning of the 20th century. However, the products of Villa Calcinaia were already known in the 16th century, as documents in the family archives testify. Over the last 50 years, the Capponis have continuously invested in their winemaking to improve quality while respecting the bond with the terroir and its respected traditions.

Villa Calcinaia started organic farming in 2000, first in the olive groves, then in the old vineyards planted between 1959 and 1975, and later in all the vineyards. The organic regulation also applies to the production of wine and olive oil. The estate has a very important genomic heritage of vines and olive trees, dating back to the end of the 19th century. The organic certification also applies to the small vines used for the new plantings and therefore also includes the nurseries used for the propagation of the material.

The Greve river divides its valley into two halves, each with a very different nature. The right bank is characterized by the mountain range of the "Monti del Chianti" and the soil is mainly composed of sandstone and sand, formed by the dissolution of the rocky subsoil of these mountains. The left bank, on the other hand, where Villa Calcinaia is located, dates back to the Eocene period and here calcareous clay is the predominant element. The name Calcinaia can be translated as "chalk quarry" because the extraction of this element is necessary for the production of mortar. Although the lime is present in large quantities on the estate, creating a certain "fil rouge" between the various soils, there are nevertheless great differences between the individual vineyards, also due to the different altitudes (200 to 350 m above sea level), the exposure and the many small tributaries of the Greve river that cross the estate. Over the centuries, these watercourses have formed tributaries which, through sedimentation, have created layers of soil with a high percentage of grey clay in the lower areas, called "mattaione" in the Tuscan dialect. In general, the soil structure in Calcinaia is open: deeper soils with a higher percentage of sand on the lower slopes towards the Greve river and shallower clayey soils with a high percentage of stones on the higher areas, in particular "galestro": a clayey slate whose flaking structure, friable surface, permeability, siliceous content and richness in trace elements ensure the vegetative balance of the vine and wines full of character. Above a certain altitude, about 300 m, there are also outcrops of "alberese", a calcareous marl more typical of the Gaiole area, which contributes to the great variety of soils in Calcinaia.