This has been Piccini’s guiding philosophy over the generations of the family, putting together the great values of the past and keeping our constant focus on the future. Located in Castellina in Chianti, one of the 8 cities of Chianti Area, Tenute Piccini, or simply Piccini, is the very beginning of Piccini Family saga. The estate, developed from only 7 ha in 1882, is now main headquarter of Piccini Group, managing 400 ha of vineyards situated in the main wine areas of Tuscany,with a special focus on Chianti and Chianti Classico. The original area dictated by the edict of Cosimo III de' Medici would eventually be considered the heart of the modern "Chianti Classico" subregion. [9] As of 2006 [update], there were 7,140ha (17,640 acres) of vineyards in the Chianti Classico subregion. [6] The Chianti Classico subregion covers an area of approximate 260km 2 (100 square miles) between the city of Florence to the north and Siena to the south. The four communes of Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti are located entirely within the boundaries of the Classico area with parts of Barberino Val d'Elsa, San Casciano in Val di Pesa and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa in the province of Florence as well as Castelnuovo Berardenga and Poggibonsi in the province of Siena included within the permitted boundaries of Chianti Classico. [9] Disciplinari dei vini DOP e IGP italiani – Disciplinari DOCG" (in Italian). Ministero delle politiche agricole alimentari e forestali . Retrieved 2 April 2014. [ permanent dead link]

Since 1996 the blend for Chianti and Chianti Classico has been 75–100% Sangiovese, up to 10% Canaiolo and up to 20% of any other approved red grape variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah. Since 2006, the use of white grape varieties such as Malvasia and Trebbiano have been prohibited in Chianti Classico. [15] Chianti Classico must have a minimum alcohol level of at least 12% with a minimum of 7 months aging in oak, while Chianti Classicos labeled riserva must be aged at least 24 months at the winery, with a minimum alcohol level of at least 12.5%. [4] The harvest yields for Chianti Classico are restricted to no more than 7.5t/ha (3 tonnes per acre). For basic Chianti, the minimum alcohol level is 11.5% with yields restricted to 9t/ha (4 tonnes per acre). [9] [16]

Mario Piccini, the current managing director, started working with his father in 1982 when he was 20 years old. His sister Martina joined the company about ten years later. “My father made it very clear that we would go nowhere without energy and passion. There is a big difference between inheriting and building a wine company and under my father’s guidance we built it as a team.” a b c d e f g h i j k A. Domine (ed.) Wine, pp. 402-411, Ullmann Publishing, 2008 ISBN 978-3-8331-4611-4 McCoy, Elin (10 June 2015). "Chianti Classico Makes a Grab for the Super-Premium Market". Bloomberg . Retrieved 1 April 2020. DATA SHEET PICCINI EXCELLENCES COLLEZIONE ORO TOSCANA ROSSO IGT ROSSO Decanter Wwa - Medaglia d'Oro - 95 Points

Famous for its food-friendly, approachable red wines and their storied history, Chianti is perhaps the best-known wine region of Italy. This appellation within Tuscany has it all: sweeping views of rolling hills, endless vineyards, the warm Mediterranean sun, hearty cuisine and a rich artistic heritage. Chianti includes seven subzones: Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Rufina, Montalbano, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Colli Aretini and Montespertoli, with area beyond whose wines can be labeled simply as Chianti. Luca Maroni 2019 - 95 Points DATA SHEET PICCINI EXCELLENCES MEMORO ROSATO Berliner Wein Trophy 2019 - Gold Medal In honor of Martina’s great-great grandmother and her mother, Piccini also boasts a strong team of women in both the executive offices and the winery. “Orange is a color that transmits energy, youth and a positive can-do approach,” says Martina. “We’ve taken that orange and have applied it to everything else we do.” DATA SHEET PICCINI EXCELLENCES MEMORO Maremma Toscana DOC WinesCritic - 90 Points DATA SHEET PICCINI EXCELLENCES PROSAE Prosecco Extra Dry DOC Berliner Wein Trophy 2019 - Gold Outside of the Chianti Classico area, the wines of the Chianti sub-zone of Rufina are among the most widely recognised and exported from the Chianti region. Located in the Arno valley near the town of Pontassieve, the Rufina region includes much area in the Pomino region, an area that has a long history of wine production. The area is noted for the cool climate of its elevated vineyards located up to 900m (2,950 feet). The vineyard soils of the area are predominantly marl and chalk. The Florentine merchant families of the Antinori and Frescobaldi own the majority of the vineyards in Rufina. Chianti from the Rufina area is characterised by its multi-layered complexity and elegance. [9]

Toscana, Chianti, Italy

a b c T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 282-286 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0-7566-1324-8 Nowadays, Tenute Piccini has four separate estates in its portfolio and ranks as one of the most recognized brands of Tuscan wine in the world. Mario and Martina Piccini, now the IV generation of Piccini Family remember what their father once said: “Everything that we do in the present is both for the past and for the future.” What has Gran Selezione done for Chianti? - Decanter". Decanter. 23 January 2018 . Retrieved 24 November 2018. The production of Chianti Classico is realised under the supervision of Consorzio del Vino Chianti Classico, a union of producers in the Chianti Classico subregion. The Consorzio was founded with the aim of promoting the wines of the subregion, improving quality and preventing wine fraud. Since the 1980s, the foundation has sponsored extensive research into the viticultural and winemaking practice of the Chianti Classico area, particularly in the area of clonal research. In the last three decades, more than 50% of the vineyards in the Chianti Classico subregion have been replanted with improved Sangiovese clones and modern vineyard techniques as part of the Consorzio Chianti Classico's project "Chianti 2000". [9]

In 2014, a new category of Chianti Classico was introduced: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. [12] Gran Selezione is made exclusively from a winery's own grapes grown according to stricter regulations compared to regular Chianti Classico. [12] Gran Selezione is granted to a Chianti Classico after it passes a suitability test conducted by authorised laboratories, and after it is approved by a special tasting committee. [12] The creation of the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG has been criticized, with some describing it as being "Needless; an extra layer of confusion created by marketing people hoping to help Chianti Classico out of a sales crisis." [13] [14] Greater Chianti region [ edit ] Fiaschi of basic Chianti that does not specify any sub-zone on the label. This wine may be a blend from several zones.

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a b c "Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: Identity Card". chianticlassico.com. Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015 . Retrieved 22 January 2015. Chianti [a] is an Italian red wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany, principally from the Sangiovese grape. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco ("flask"; pl.: fiaschi). However, the fiasco is now only used by a few makers of the wine; most Chianti is bottled in more standard-shaped wine bottles. In the latter nineteenth century, Baron Bettino Ricasoli (later Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy) helped establish Sangiovese as the blend's dominant grape variety, creating the blueprint for today's Chianti wines. [1] Iwc 2018 - Silver Medal DATA SHEET PICCINI EXCELLENCES BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA DOCG Vintage 2018 Main articles: Chianti (region) and History of Chianti In 1716 Cosimo III de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, legislated the first official boundaries of the Chianti region in what is today part of the Chianti Classico DOCG. Piccini today is one of the biggest players in Tuscany, whose Chianti production represent between 10%-12% of the entire Chianti production. Under the leadership of Mario and Martina, Piccini relies on a team of young professionals in Italy and strong partners abroad for its growing distribution network that already spans an impressive 72 countries.

Angiolo's heir, Mario, took over in 1925 and safely steered the company through the difficult years of the Great Depression and the Second World War. Mario's greatest contribution was to bring Piccini to its first overseas clients. He exported Chianti “Il Preferito” (the preferred) to Germany and Austria two countries that remain very faithful to the Piccini brand. Nearly 80 percent of Piccini's wines are currently sold outside Italy today. TenutePicciniis among the most prominent wine producers in Tuscany, playing a leading role in the production of Chianti, ChiantiClassicoandMontalcinowines. The familyhasfiveother stand-alone propertiesin top Tuscan wine regions as well as the two “volcanic estates” on the Etna and Vulture mountains, a parallel project to the successfulPiccinibrand.The family’s philosophy behind the boutique estates is very classical: producing wines that reflect the region, focusing on expressiveness of the grapes variety in relation to the area of origin. The soil and geography of this subregion can be quite varied, with altitudes ranging from 250 to 610m (820 to 2,000 feet), and rolling hills producing differing macroclimates. There are two main soil types in the area: a weathered sandstone known as alberese and a bluish-gray chalky marlstone known as galestro. [9] The soil in the north is richer and more fertile with more galestro, with the soil gradually becoming harder and stonier with more albarese in the south. In the north, the Arno River can have an influence on the climate, keeping the temperatures slightly cooler, an influence that diminishes further south in the warmer Classico territory towards Castelnuovo Berardenga. [4] Vineyards in Gaiole in Chianti in the Chianti Classico area The Chianti DOCG covers all the Chianti wine and includes a large stretch of land encompassing the western reaches of the province of Pisa near the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Florentine hills in the province of Florence to the north, to the province of Arezzo in the east and the Siena hills to the south. Within this regions are vineyards that overlap the DOCG regions of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Any Sangiovese-based wine made according to the Chianti guidelines from these vineyards can be labelled and marked under the basic Chianti DOCG should the producer wish to use the designation. [4] Chianti Classico wines are characterised in their youth by their predominantly floral and cinnamon spicy bouquet. As the wine ages, aromas of tobacco and leather can emerge. Chiantis tend to have medium-high acidity and medium tannins. Basic level Chianti is often characterised by its juicy fruit notes of cherry, plum and raspberry and can range from simple quaffing wines to those approaching the level of Chianti Classico. Wine expert Tom Stevenson notes that these basic everyday-drinking Chiantis are at their peak drinking qualities often between three and five years after vintage, with premium examples having the potential to age for four to eight years. Well-made examples of Chianti Classico often have the potential to age and improve in the bottle for six to twenty years. [11] Chianti Superiore [ edit ]However the best quality comes from Chianti Classico, in the heart of the Chianti zone, which is no longer a subzone of the region at all but has been recognized on its own since 1996. The Classico region today is delimited by the confines of the original Chianti zone protected since the 1700s.