San Felice Vigorello Toscana IGT

The grapes are sourced from the San Felice estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga - approximately a third each of Pugnitello, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignin, with a small portion of Petit Verdot (5%). These vines are cultivated in medium-textured chalky soils with some gravel and pebbles. The Merlot grapes are first to be harvested, typicaly in the first half of September, followed by the other three varieties at the start of October. Fermentation is for 20-25 days on the skins at 30°C, followed by malolactic fermentation and 24 months' maturation in 225L French oak barriques. The wine spends a further 8 months in bottle before release.

An outstanding Tuscan winery who have pioneered key developments in the Chianti Classico region for the last 40 years.

Based in Castelnuovo Berardenga, around 30 miles south-east of Florence and at the southern end of the Chianti Classico zone, this reputable estate includes 140 hectares of vineyard, a cellar, around 17,000 olive trees, and a village with a prestigious hotel complex. San Felice have had a strong presence in the Chianti Classico region for 40 years. Winemaker Leonardo Bellaccini crafts a portfolio of wines which is highly regarded and multi award-winning - classic expressions of high quality Sangiovese.

This is a pioneering winery - producing the fore-runner to the Supertuscans, Vigorello (the first wine in the Chianti Classico region roduced using solely red grapes) in the late 1960s. This was followed by the introduction of Poggio Rosso in the 1970's (a first example of a Chianti Classico 'Cru'), and then their partnership with the Universities of Florence and Pisa in the 1980s. At a time when other estates were focusing on international varieties, this partnership lead to the development of their Vitiarium, or experimental vineyard, where they have cultivated and studied indigenous grape varieties (such as Pugnitello) for over 30 years. They were also amongst the first Chianti Classico estates to produce a 'Gran Selezione' wine - a new classification introduced as the top quality tier for wines in the region - with the inaugural 2010 vintage.

San Felice lies adjacent to its sister property, Villa la Pagliaia, and has additional estates: Campogiovanni in Montalcino, and Perolla in Maremma.