Badia a Coltibuono, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy 2022
Badia a Coltibuono — "Abbey of the Good Harvest" — traces its roots to 1051, when Vallombrosan monks established a monastery in Gaiole in Chianti and began cultivating the surrounding land. Etruscan and Roman-era evidence of viticulture has been found on the property, making it one of the oldest continuously farmed wine estates in Tuscany. The abbey functioned as a center of agricultural learning until Napoleon's secularization decrees forced the monks out in 1810; in 1846 it was purchased by the Florentine banker Michele Giuntini, ancestor of the current owners. The Stucchi Prinetti family has guided the estate through six generations, with Piero Stucchi Prinetti establishing the modern estate's commercial foundations in the 1950s. Today his children Emanuela, Paolo, and Roberto lead the property. Roberto, trained in viticulture and enology at UC Davis, converted the estate to fully certified organic farming by 2000 — one of the earliest such conversions in Chianti Classico. A modern gravity-flow winery at Monti, operational since 1997 and powered by photovoltaic energy since 2023, handles all vinification. Badia a Coltibuono is widely regarded as one of the reference points of the Chianti Classico denomination.
WINEMAKER: Roberto Stucchi Prinetti
FARMING: Certified Organic. Estate follows Delinat certification standards — among the most rigorous in Europe, requiring biodiversity benchmarks, social responsibility criteria, and a path toward carbon neutrality.
VARIETY: Sangiovese (massale selection) with small additions of traditional complementary varieties including Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, and other historic Chianti cultivars
TERROIR: Chianti Classico DOCG. Vineyards in Monti (Gaiole in Chianti) and Vitignano (Castelnuovo Berardenga), the Sienese sector of Chianti Classico. Elevations of 260–370 meters, south, southeast, and southwest exposures. Clay and limestone soils. Guyot trained, 5,500–6,600 vines per hectare. 2022 vintage: abundant spring rains reduced yields; excellent ripening conditions in late August and September produced well-structured wines with harmonious tannins.
VINIFICATION: Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Punchdown cap management. Skin maceration for 3 weeks. Gravity-flow winery with manual sorting; gentle handling throughout. 129,000 bottles produced.
AGING: 12 months in French and Austrian oak casks of varying sizes (predominantly large-format neutral casks). No new oak dominance per house philosophy.
TASTING NOTES: Bright ruby. The nose opens with iris, violet, tobacco, black pepper, and marasca cherry. Well-balanced on the palate, with tightly knit supple tannins, mineral notes, and cleansing acidity. Warm and persistent on the finish.
FOOD PAIRINGS: Pasta with meat ragù, roasted and braised meats, moderately aged Tuscan cheeses.
SCORES: James Suckling 92 | Wine Spectator 92
Badia a Coltibuono, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy 2022
Badia a Coltibuono — "Abbey of the Good Harvest" — traces its roots to 1051, when Vallombrosan monks established a monastery in Gaiole in Chianti and began cultivating the surrounding land. Etruscan and Roman-era evidence of viticulture has been found on the property, making it one of the oldest continuously farmed wine estates in Tuscany. The abbey functioned as a center of agricultural learning until Napoleon's secularization decrees forced the monks out in 1810; in 1846 it was purchased by the Florentine banker Michele Giuntini, ancestor of the current owners. The Stucchi Prinetti family has guided the estate through six generations, with Piero Stucchi Prinetti establishing the modern estate's commercial foundations in the 1950s. Today his children Emanuela, Paolo, and Roberto lead the property. Roberto, trained in viticulture and enology at UC Davis, converted the estate to fully certified organic farming by 2000 — one of the earliest such conversions in Chianti Classico. A modern gravity-flow winery at Monti, operational since 1997 and powered by photovoltaic energy since 2023, handles all vinification. Badia a Coltibuono is widely regarded as one of the reference points of the Chianti Classico denomination.
WINEMAKER: Roberto Stucchi Prinetti
FARMING: Certified Organic. Estate follows Delinat certification standards — among the most rigorous in Europe, requiring biodiversity benchmarks, social responsibility criteria, and a path toward carbon neutrality.
VARIETY: Sangiovese (massale selection) with small additions of traditional complementary varieties including Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, and other historic Chianti cultivars
TERROIR: Chianti Classico DOCG. Vineyards in Monti (Gaiole in Chianti) and Vitignano (Castelnuovo Berardenga), the Sienese sector of Chianti Classico. Elevations of 260–370 meters, south, southeast, and southwest exposures. Clay and limestone soils. Guyot trained, 5,500–6,600 vines per hectare. 2022 vintage: abundant spring rains reduced yields; excellent ripening conditions in late August and September produced well-structured wines with harmonious tannins.
VINIFICATION: Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Punchdown cap management. Skin maceration for 3 weeks. Gravity-flow winery with manual sorting; gentle handling throughout. 129,000 bottles produced.
AGING: 12 months in French and Austrian oak casks of varying sizes (predominantly large-format neutral casks). No new oak dominance per house philosophy.
TASTING NOTES: Bright ruby. The nose opens with iris, violet, tobacco, black pepper, and marasca cherry. Well-balanced on the palate, with tightly knit supple tannins, mineral notes, and cleansing acidity. Warm and persistent on the finish.
FOOD PAIRINGS: Pasta with meat ragù, roasted and braised meats, moderately aged Tuscan cheeses.
SCORES: James Suckling 92 | Wine Spectator 92