San Ferdinando Podere Gamba Chianti DOCG

Vinification is separate for each variety, then the wine is blended and spends 8 months in oak before bottling.

San Ferdinando’s estate spreads over 60 hectares in the heart of Tuscany in the area of Val di Chiana noted for its tradition of oil and wine production. The Grifoni family, inspired by the passion and by the respect for this land, purchased the farm in 1998.

The vineyards, at an altitude of 300 metres above sea level, occupy a total area of nine hectares and are planted with local Ciliegiolo, Sangiovese, Pugnitello and Vermentino. Most of the vineyard activities, hoeing included, are rigorously done by hand, while tractors are used for topping and treatments that follow the principles of supervised pest control. All operations that are part of the productive cycle of the wine always occur under the supervision of the watchful eye of Simone, who takes care that the vineyard is treated like a garden, with great respect for the environment and for nature. Weedkillers and insecticides are completely banned with plants sown in the vineyard rows and, green manures are frequently used.

Podere Gamba is the vineyard name, lying on medium-textured stony clay soils rich in potassium. The blend is Sangiovese and Pugnitello (85/15), the grapes harvested in mid-October normally. Harvest is manual, and grapes are sorted, before destemming and a light crushing. The two grapes are vinified separately in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature before being transferred into Allier oak barrels for eight months before being bottled. With its nose of forest fruit, cherry, liquorice and coffee this is a silky style of Chianti with soft tannins and good juice. Pugnitello, by the way, is named after an ancient Tuscan grape variety, the word referring to the form of the cluster, which resembles a small fist (pugno).