Buondonno

Gabriele Buondonno and his wife Valeria Sodano are both trained agronomists. Gabriele has been practicing organic viticulture since 1988 and produces the best organic wines year after year, while Valeria teaches at the University of Naples. They have stylishly renovated the small Tuscan property, which once belonged to a nephew of Michelangelo, and made it habitable again. It is located very close to Castellina in Chianti in a prime location in the center of Tuscany.

8 hectares of vineyards are planted with Sangiovese vines at a density of 4,000 to 4,800 vines per hectare, which are now more than 70 years old. They are used to produce Chianti Classico and, in very good years, Chianti Classico Riserva organic wines.

There are also some old Tuscan varieties such as Colorino, Canaiolo and Malasia Nera, which are used to produce the organic wine "Lemme Lemme". In 1992, the grape varieties Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc were planted on a vineyard of around 1 hectare and are now grown and sold as single varieties. These varieties produce a very good organic red wine and Trebbiano produces a typical Tuscan organic white wine.

The vineyards are mostly located around the Casavecchia estate at an average altitude of 425 meters above sea level with south, southeast and east exposure. The soils originate from a consolidated mineral substrate composed of silt (galestri), which are fine weathered sediments composed of quartz and feldspar, with marbled limestone (alberese) and calcareous sandstone (pietraforte). They are moderately deep, have a clayey texture, are very calcareous and have an abundant stony skeleton that guarantees good drainage.

As can be seen from the “Capitani di Parte Guelfa” maps of 1549, Gabriele Buondonno's winery was previously owned by Lionardo Buonarroti, Michelangelo's nephew. Letters between Michelangelo, who was living in Rome at the age of 74, and his nephew show that the estate was bought by Michelangelo, and that the wine already had a good reputation at that time, as can be seen from a letter from Michelangelo to Lionardo: "I would rather have two barrels of Trebbiano (Italian white grape variety) than eight shirts", adding that he needed the wine as a gift for the Pope.