Fattoria di Sammontana

The story

Since 1867.

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His son, Maurizio, specialized in art and Renaissance literature, married an Italian woman and thus came to reside permanently in Tuscany. But it is Maurizio’s son, Massimo, to whom we owe credit for first directing the farm to excellence in quality wine and oil production.

Today, the family - now in its fourth generation - runs the farm according to organic and biodynamic criteria, with the intent to fully preserve and sustain the traditions and winemaking secrets of this land.

The Fattoria di Sammontana with the adjacent Romanesque church of the 12th century , originally a property of the Medici family, Grand Dukes of Tuscany , was donated by them to the religious canons of the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. The monks used this property as a place of rest and retirement, but they also built a large underground cellar and nearby constructed a grand furnace with overlapping arches for the production of pottery and terracotta. In 1867, the main building along with the church, furnace and entire farm was bought by Michele Dzieduszycki, a Polish nobleman whom loved spending his vacations in Tuscany.

The land

This soil, usually defined as “ungrateful”, is the one that gives character and personality to our wines.

Our vineyards and olive groves slope gently down the hillsides that border the east side of the Arno valley, in Montelupo Fiorentino, just 20 Km. from Florence.

We tend about 13 hectares of vineyards and more than 3,000 olive trees, planted between 70 and 150 meters above sea level.

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The soil is alluvial, and as such is full of stones, gravel and pebbles of various sizes that are technically referred to as “skeletons”.

This soil, usually defined as “ungrateful”, is the one that gives character and personality to our wines.

Our work in the vineyard

The transition to organic and, later, to biodynamic agriculture, was natural.

Because our philosophy is very traditional, linked to old habits, and resting on the laurels of the land.

After the manual pruning and tying of the vines - spurred cordon in some cases and “Guyot” in others - we proceed in cutting and burying the green manure, followed by the execution of the remaining operations related to the biodynamic agriculture, like the spraying of "manure horn" on the land (cow horn filled with manure and then buried up to maturation) and silica on the leaves, with both preparations respectively diluted in “dynamized” water. Natural pesticide treatments are only applied when necessary, exclusively using sulfur and copper, and always limiting their use to a minimum. This entire process is undertaken following the rhythms of the moon.

Our work in the vineyard starts in the fall immediately after the harvest with a “green manure”, the practice of sowing legumes (beans, peas) and grass between the rows of vines. During spring we then cut and bury them, thereby enriching the soil with natural fertilizers. According to necessity, this process is sometimes integrated with the addition of manure.

Before the summer, we select the leading vines on which we will perform a “green harvest”- a selective elimination of grapes early on that reduce the final production of each plant so as to ensure a healthy, quality-driven harvest and raise the final product quality.

The harvest at our estate is done entirely by hand and starts with our white grape varietals and our early ripening reds. After about 15 days we pass to our more traditional varietals and eventually conclude with the grapes intended for Vinsanto, which will then be left to dry on straw mats.

Our work in the cellar

Our hope is that, beyond barrel and cask, our wines can sustain the personality, peculiarities, and characteristics of our "terroir" over time.

The red grapes ferment naturally in large concrete tanks, without the addition of engineered yeasts, enzymes, tannins or any other substances. This allows our wines to fully express the characteristics of our “terroir” and of the personality of our grapes. The fermenting must is frequently subjected to pump overs, “délestages” and punch downs. Upon completion of fermentation, open air racking is performed to oxygenate the must. This operation is repeated several times during the following months, allowing us to avoid any filtering and/or clarification, which might dissuade the originality of the wine.

Our work in the cellar begins with the soft pressing of white grapes and separation from the skins.

The must obtain from the grapes is left to decant for a day at low temperature before moving to a steel tank, where the natural fermentation on indigenous yeasts starts.

Our wines will then take different routes: some will be bottled immediately, while others will spend variable amounts of time in oak barrels, and some in “terracotta” amphorae. A line of continuity emerges through them all, with a distinctive mark of our land and of our work.

Our hope is that, beyond barrel and cask, our wines can sustain the personality, peculiarities, and characteristics of our "terroir" over time; to express the unique soil and environmental features that stand apart from many of the surrounding areas and the majority of other areas of the Chianti region.