It was Il Poggio vineyard, way back in 1962, that heralded the start of Castello di Monsanto’s journey in wine production, with the first harvest overseen by founder Fabrizio Bianchi. Still to this day, the company’s most iconic bottle, Il Poggio, is the first Chianti Classico to feature the name of the specific vineyard from which it comes. White grapes were removed from the recipe in 1968. Il Poggio is the source – thanks to massal selection – of all the Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiolo vines in the winery’s other vineyards. Over 100,00 bottles have been produced and all of them spend time aging in the castle’s historic cellar, showcasing the wine’s stunning capacity for aging. The 2016 vintage will be remembered in Chianti Classico as one of the most beautiful of the last decade. The winter was mild with abundant rains. The first days of April were unusually warm, which resulted in early budding by at least 10 days compared to the average. The month of May was considered average in respect to the season. The summer was quite hot, however it was interspersed with a few rainy days in both July and August which helped the progression of ripening the grapes. A September with cooler but sunny days and excellent temperature variations allowed the harvest of very healthy grapes in early October. Aged in 3800 litre oak casks for about 20 months