San Casciano in Val di Pesa
サン・カッシャーノ・イン・ヴァル・ディ・ペーザ
Chianti Classico's northernmost UGA — soft, silky, and approachable.
San Casciano in Val di Pesa is the northernmost of the eleven official UGAs (Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive) of the Chianti Classico DOCG, forming the gateway to the denomination just south of Florence. The UGA spans roughly 9,100 hectares with about 1,560 hectares under vine (17.1% of the total Chianti Classico area) and around 45 wineries, including Antinori's flagship Tenuta Tignanello estate. Its terroir is a broad alluvial plateau cresting at about 300 meters, sitting between the Pesa and Greve valleys, with soils of galestro, alberese limestone, river pebbles, and moderately clayey sandy-marine deposits. The northernmost position and lower elevation give San Casciano a comparatively mild, ventilated climate with wide day-night temperature swings, making it the earliest-ripening zone in Chianti Classico. The resulting Sangiovese-dominant wines are notably soft, approachable, and silky, with ripe fruit and moderate acidity, offering an elegant, accessible introduction to the denomination.
Best for: Ideal for those new to Chianti Classico who want an elegant, fruit-forward, easy-drinking Sangiovese, and for visitors exploring the region's gateway near Florence.
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Producers
カステッロ・ディ・ガッビアーノ
Castello di Gabbiano
Castello di Gabbiano is one of the most historic estates of Chianti Classico, its cellars dating back to 1124 in San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Tuscany. Now part of Treasury Wine Estates, the roughly 165-hectare property has been home to Sangiovese vines since 1480 and combines centuries of tradition with modern viticulture under winemaker Federico Cerelli. The estate is renowned for its structured, terroir-driven Chianti Classico and Gran Selezione wines, and its medieval castle remains a landmark of the appellation, open for tastings and tours.
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castellogabbiano.it/モンテセコンド
Montesecondo
Montesecondo is a small biodynamic estate in San Casciano in Val di Pesa (village of Cerbaia), at the northern tip of Chianti Classico near Florence. Silvio Messana, who spent years in New York before returning to run his family's vineyards in 1999, bottled the estate's first vintage in 2000. He farms two plots — Vignano (500m, galestro schist) and Montesecondo (150m, clay and river stone) — organically since 2004 and biodynamically thereafter, inspired by a seminar with Nicolas Joly. Grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts, then aged in old barrels, concrete tanks and clay amphorae, with no fining, filtration or added tannins, and minimal sulphur. Because of these unconventional techniques, only one wine qualifies for Chianti Classico DOCG; the rest — made mostly from Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and a skin-contact Trebbiano — are bottled as Toscana IGT. Messana calls his style 'undressed' rather than 'natural,' focused on letting each vineyard's terroir speak clearly in the glass.
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www.montesecondo.com/en/ポッジョ・トルセッリ
Poggio Torselli
Poggio Torselli is a historic 24-hectare Chianti Classico estate in San Casciano in Val di Pesa, first documented in 1427. Its grand late-Baroque villa was rebuilt in 1702 for Giovan Battista Corsini Orlandini by architect Lorenzo Merlini, and hosted Pope Pius VII overnight in 1804 as he traveled to Paris to crown Napoleon, as well as Emperor Paul I of Russia. Owned by the Cusano family since 2021 and certified organic since 2017, the estate has been farmed biodynamically under winemaker Eduardo Colapinto (formerly of Josko Gravner in Oslavia), who favors spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, minimal sulfur, extended lees aging, and large or neutral wood. Sangiovese is the estate's signature variety, expressed through a range including Chianti Classico DOCG, the Riserva and Gran Selezione bottlings labeled '1427' after the estate's founding year, and the Bizzarria Rosso and Bianco Toscana IGT wines. The wines have been reviewed by Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and have won medals at international competitions including the USA Wine Ratings, International Wine Challenge, and Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.
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www.poggiotorselli.it/プリンチペ・コルシーニ
Principe Corsini
Principe Corsini is a historic Florentine wine and olive oil estate whose roots trace back to 1363, when the noble Corsini family acquired vineyards, olive groves, and a manor house in San Casciano in Val di Pesa. The Corsini lineage spans nine centuries and includes Pope Clement XII and Saint Andrea Corsini. Today the estate is centered on Villa Le Corti, a villa built in the early 17th century for Bartolomeo Corsini, complemented by Tenuta Marsiliana in the Maremma. Since 1992 the winery has been run by Duccio Corsini, who has guided it toward certified organic viticulture (since 2013) and an integrated sustainable approach across vineyard and cellar. Roughly 51 hectares of vineyards, planted mainly with Sangiovese, sit on hillsides at 220-300 meters in the northern part of Chianti Classico, about 15 km south of Florence, producing wines such as Le Corti Chianti Classico DOCG, Cortevecchia Riserva, and the Gran Selezione Don Tommaso.
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principecorsini.com/en/ヴィッラ・マンジャカーネ
Villa Mangiacane
Villa Mangiacane is a historic Renaissance estate in San Casciano in Val di Pesa, at the heart of Chianti Classico, roughly 12 km south of Florence. Built for the Machiavelli family in the late 15th century (with a design tradition attributed in part to Michelangelo), the estate spans over 300 hectares including about 43 hectares of vineyard, farmed organically and biodynamically. Winemaking is directed by consulting enologist Alberto Antonini together with winery director Antonio Spurio, a longtime collaborator of Carlo Ferrini. The estate's flagship Chianti Classico DOCG is built on Sangiovese (with Canaiolo and Colorino), and its Gran Selezione Z District bottling is a Sangiovese-Merlot blend aged roughly three years in wood. Villa Mangiacane also produces Super Tuscan blends and extra virgin olive oil, and operates a luxury hotel on the property alongside its wine and agricultural production.
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www.mangiacane.com/
Food Pairings
Roasted poultry, grilled meats, tomato-based pasta, charcuterie and cheese boards, Pecorino Toscano, and the region's own Chianti Classico DOP extra virgin olive oil drizzled over bruschetta.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes San Casciano unique within Chianti Classico?
- It is the northernmost of the eleven official UGAs, sitting on a broad alluvial plateau between the Pesa and Greve valleys. Its lower elevation and pebbly, alluvial soils make it the earliest-ripening zone in the denomination.
- What style of wine does San Casciano produce?
- Sangiovese-dominant wines that are notably soft, silky, and approachable, with ripe red fruit and moderate acidity — a gentler, more accessible style than the more structured UGAs further south.
- Is San Casciano an official UGA?
- Yes, it is one of the eleven officially recognized Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive within the Chianti Classico denomination, covering about 9,100 hectares with roughly 1,560 hectares under vine and around 45 wineries.
- What notable estates are located in San Casciano?
- The UGA is home to Antinori's celebrated Tenuta Tignanello estate and the Antinori nel Chianti Classico winery, making it one of the most prestigious production zones near Florence.