Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona

On the south-east slope of Montalcino, where the Arna hill meets the Orcia river and Mount Amiata watches over the valley, Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona has been shaping Sangiovese for generations. The story began in the 17th century, when the Palazzo was built by Fabivs de’ Vecchis, Bishop of Montalcino and Abbot of Sant’Antimo. In 1877 the Ciacci family took the estate, and through Elda Ciacci’s marriage to Count Alberto Piccolomini d’Aragona, a descendant of Pope Pius II, it took the name it carries today. In 1985 it passed to Giuseppe Bianchini, the farmer who had loved this land for years and who opened it to the world. Since 2004, his children Paolo and Lucia have carried his dream forward, with the next generation at their side.

Close to the Romanesque Abbey of Sant’Antimo, within the UNESCO-listed Val d’Orcia Park, about 50 hectares of vines grow in soils of marl and shale. The jewel is Pianrosso, 11.69 hectares of south-facing Sangiovese Grosso, from the estate’s oldest vines, at 240 to 360 metres. Fermented in stainless steel, aged in oak in an underground cellar, and guarded by the old vintages sleeping beneath the Palazzo, its Brunello speaks of finesse, depth and place. Pianrosso and the Riserva Santa Caterina d’Oro lead a family of wines that also includes Brunello Annata, Rosso di Montalcino, Rossofonte, Fabivs and Ateo.