Vertical Tasting of Castello di Monsanto's Chianti Classico Il Poggio Riserva

Located high in the hills of Barberino Val d'Elsa in Chianti Classico, the splendid villa of Monsanto dominates the valley below.  Monsanto ("my saint") was named in honor of Saint Ruffiniano, who died here in 998 B.C., along with 150 other people involved in a battle.

Castello di Monsanto is widely considered one of the top dozen Chianti Classico estates of today, especially if its top wine, the Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio, is mentioned.  Like many other famous Italian wine estates, Monsanto's fame is only relatively recent; it was barely known prior to the 1960s.  Originally, Monsanto wasn't even Monsanto:  it was known as the Palloni estate, which belonged to two sisters who did not get along and had carved the property into two.