The Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi winery can trace its history all the way back to 1308. The family is known to have supplied wine to such wine-loving historical figures as Michelangelo and Henry VIII. As one of Italy’s oldest wineries, Frescobaldi has grown to be one of the most important wine producers in Italy, with nine estates—and roughly 2,500 acres—in Tuscany.
The Castelgiocondo estate is one of the family’s early Tuscan holdings. Castelgiocondo exemplifies an almost perfect terroir for Sangiovese wines from the Brunello di Montalcino appellation. James Suckling choose the 2010 vintage of the Brunello as his wine of the year for 2015. The gorgeous estate buildings overlook the village of the same name. The vineyards are located between 1000-1300 feet altitude on sunny southwest facing slopes with well-drained soils.
Wines from Brunello di Montalcino are 100% Sangiovese. This makes them the ultimate wine to go with pizza and red pasta—its high acidity, moderate alcohol, and fine-grained tannins also pair perfectly with tomato-based dishes, braised vegetables, roasted and cured meat, hard cheese and anything off the barbecue.
