Date of visit: June 16, 2022
About The Producer
The breathtaking San Giusto a Rentennano estate is located in Gaiole in Chianti. The estate was originally a Cistercian monastery in the 11th century, before being acquired by the Riscasoli family, who fortified it in 1204. During that time, the estate served as part of the border which separated Florence from Sienna. Today, some of the original structure which dates back to the 11th and 12th century still stands, including the fortification wall pictured here as well as parts of the cellar. In addition to producing some of the most incredible wines in the region, San Giusto a Rentennano is one of the most magnificent estates we’ve ever visited.
The Riscasoli’s began making wine in the early 1900s, some of which was bulk and some of which was bottled. In 1914 Elisabetta Riscasoli married Enrico Martini di Cigala, and the two of them continued producing wine until World War II. Their son (also named Enrico) resumed wine production (though he exclusively produced bulk wine), from the 1950s until the 1970s. Enrico passed the estate to his children (Elisabetta and Enrico’s grandchildren) in the late 1970s, who exclusively produced quality wine, which they began selling in the early 1980s. The Martini di Cigala’s remain the current owners of the estate to this day, and are committed to producing some of the finest wine in Tuscany, and all of Italy.
The San Giusto a Rentennano estate is 160 hectares (395 acres), with an average altitude of 270 meters above sea level; 31 hectares (77 acres) are dedicated to vineyards, and 11 hectares (27 acres) are dedicated to olive groves. Most vineyard work is performed by hand, and both the vines and olive groves are certified organic.
San Giusto a Rentennano is committed to producing wine and olive oil sustainably. The estate makes their own fertilizer composed of branches and leaves from their vines and olive trees gathered during pruning, which is ground and mixed with manure and cut grass, and left to ferment and decompose for a year or two prior to being spread in the vineyard. In addition to this, they’ve installed solar panels which power 80% of the electricity used at the estate, and water is recycled via biological purifiers and used for irrigation. To read more about San Giusto a Rentennano’s sustainable initiatives, please click here.
Our Visit to San Giusto a Rentennano
This was our final visit of our June 2022 trip to Italy, the grand finale, and what a way to end what had already been such an incredible trip. As we made our way down the long, cypress tree lined driveway, we thought back to our first visit here in 2019, which to this day is one of the greatest visits to any producer we’ve ever had.
When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Bettina, who we’d met during our first visit. Bettina had already given us a tour of their magnificent estate during our last visit, so we went directly to their new tasting room, located just across the courtyard from where their offices are located. The new tasting room is absolutely magnificent, just like the rest of the estate. Some of the pictures which we’ve included were taken during our visit in 2019, so that you can see their cellars, and the room where their legendary Vin San Giusto is produced.
Tasting Notes
Below are our tasting notes for the lineup of wines that we tasted. For each wine, we’ve included a link to a vintage specific, highly detailed, technical specification sheet of that respective wine provided by San Giusto a Rentennano which can be found on their website. All wines are certified organic.
2021 Fuori Misura Rosato di Toscana: Made primarily from Sangiovese, with a bit of Canaiolo, and Merlot. Deep, intensely colored, ruby red appearance. Beautiful aromas of wild strawberries, violets and a hint of licorice, all of which carries over directly to the palate along with flavors of tart red currants, and cherry juice. Crisp, fresh, fruity, and juicy, with soaring acidity, and a silky smooth mouthfeel. A very unique and absolutely delicious rosato.
2020 Chianti Classico: Made from 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo. Harvest took place from September 15th to October 6th. Fermentation and maceration for 13 days. Wine was aged for 11 months in oak barrels and casks, and was bottled from March 23rd to 31st, 2022. Rich, densely concentrated, yet elegant aromas of plums, figs, crushed black fruits, red berries, raspberries, cherries, roses, and some leather. The palate is filled with mouth enveloping flavors of crushed red and black fruits, and leather. Structured, with mouthwatering, grippy, pronounced tannins, vibrant acidity, and excellent balance.
2019 Chianti Classico Riserva Le Baròncole: Made from 97% Sangiovese and 3% Canaiolo. Harvest took place from October 8th to 12th. Fermentation and maceration for 15 days. Wine was aged for 20 months in a combination of oak barrels and French barriques (20% new), and was bottled February 23rd and 24th, 2022. Pronounced aromas of campfire along with crushed tart red fruit, leather, cooked sour cherries, peonies, roses, and pomegranate juice. Flavors of cooked sour cherries, crushed black and red fruits, and leather. The palate is extremely structured, with forward pronounced tannins, complimented by vibrant acidity. Excellent balance. This wine is built to age, and has a long life ahead of it, but is also approachable now. Bettina informed us that grapes had slow maturation in 2019. Hail unfortunately destroyed a lot of grapes, production was down by approximately 20% as a result of this, but they had great weather in September and October. Overall, Bettina thinks this is a great vintage, and we agree.
2018 Percarlo: One of the flagship wines which this estate has become quite famous for. Made from 100% Sangiovese (a selection of their absolute best grapes). Harvest took place September 26th to 29th and October 5th. Fermentation and maceration for 38 days. Aged for 22 months in French barriques (Allier and Nevers) of 225, 500, and 3000 liters (25% new), and an additional 15 months in bottle. Bottled June 1st through 3rd, 2021. 18,352 750ml bottles, along with some large format bottles. An absolutely gorgeous, elegant nose, filled with aromas of roses, cherry juice, peonies, red fruits, some leather, anise, gardenias, licorice and a hint of jasmine and black pepper on the finish, all of which carries over to the palate. You can somehow almost smell the immense structure that’s present in this wine, before even tasting it. The palate delivers super fine grained, velvety tannins, which are already beautifully integrated, along with soaring acidity. Extremely structured, yet elegant. This wine is without a doubt built for lengthy cellaring and will reward those who wait for decades to come, however, it’s also very approaching and enjoyable now.
2019 La Ricolma: One of the flagship wines which this estate has become quite famous for. This was our first time tasting this wine. We’d been dying to try it for a long time, and this far exceeded our already high expectations. Made from 100% Merlot. Harvest took place October 4th and 23rd. Fermentation and maceration for 15 days. Aged in 225 liter barriques of Allier and Nevers. Bottled February 16, 2022. 3,790 bottles produced. Pronounced aromas of crushed blueberries, plums, wild strawberries, ginseng, leather, roses, and tobacco. The palate is juicy and filled with flavors of cherry preserves, fresh raspberries, and a hint of vanilla. Very structured, with pronounced tannins, and vibrant acidity. Persistent finish. Extremely approachable and enjoyable now, but will likely age gracefully for decades. The mouthfeel is incredible, liquid velvet. This was a standout of the trip for us. This is truly like no other Merlot we’ve tasted, and is our favorite example of the grape that we’ve tried. What an incredible wine.
2014 Vin San Giusto: One of the flagship wines which this estate has become quite famous for producing. Made from 92% Malvasia and 8% Trebbiano. Harvest took place September 18th to 20th. Grapes were dried on straw mats in the top floor of the estate for 140 days. Aged for 6 years in small chestnut oak barrels 50 to 120 liters in size. Barrels are sealed with wax and are not topped off at all during this time. Barrels are kept on the top floor of the estate, in the same room where the grapes are left to dry. This room is deliberately exposed to seasonal temperature changes. 20% of liquid was lost during this process (though usually it’s closer to 40%) which causes the flavors and aromas to be incredibly concentrated. Bottled June 29, 2021. Production is a miniscule 1,098 bottles, bottled only in 375ml bottles. No sulfites added. You can smell the sweetness and the viscosity before even tasting it. The aromas are captivating, gorgeous, and unlike any other Vin Santo we’ve ever encountered. Golden raisins, honey, clover, nutmeg, jasmine, apricots, dried figs, hay, dried wheat, along with a pleasant lively fresh nuttiness, all of which carry over to the palate along with resin, brioche and smoke. Rich, concentrated flavors alongside a viscous mouthfeel. Extremely persistent finish. The few examples of this wine which we’ve been fortunate enough to taste have been our favorite examples of Vin Santo that we’ve ever tried. A truly magnificent wine.
Thank You
Thank you, Bettina and everyone at San Giusto a Rentennano who helped produce such an amazing lineup of wines, and who made our visit so special. Thank you for once again sharing your spectacular wines with us, and for always making our visit a memorable one. We look forward to seeing you soon in the very near future. Grazie mille! A presto!
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