The Gianelli family runs Azienda Agricola San Benedetto, a producer of wine and olive oil in the Chianti region of Tuscany. The family has nearly a century of history growing wine grapes and olives, beginning in the 1920s. For years prior, the family had been sharecroppers for a farm called Casaccia. As the tenant farmers began to buy their lands, the Gianellis -- brothers Dario and Guiseppe -- bought land near San Benedetto. They built a winery on their property in 1975. The farm and agriturismo is now owned by Giovanni Marinaro (Giuseppe's son) and Andrea and Marco Gianelli (Dario's grandsons).
San Benedetto has 25 hectares of vineyards and 2 of olive groves. Eighty percent of the grapes are red grapes, mostly Sangiovese with some Canaiolo, Malvasia, Colorino, and Ciliegiolo (which mostly add color to the red wine), along with a bit of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Montepulciano. Seventy percent of the white grapes are Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and the rest are Trebbiano, Malvasia, Vermentino, and Sancolombano. The red grapes go into Chianti Tradizione, Chianti San Benedetto and Chianti Riserva, plus an everyday red and more elegant red blends, and Vin Santo and Grappa. San Bendetto also produces Vernaccia and Vermentino whites.
The Vin Santo is made by the traditional method. First, the wine is made from 40% Sancolombano grapes, with 30% each Trebbiano and Malvasia. The wine is aged in chestnut barrels through which some evaporation takes place, and then the remaining wine is moved to smaller and smaller barrels until the right concentration of flavor is achieved. You'll taste ripe figs and dark fruit, plus a bit of honey, all with great brightness and acidity. It's lightly sweet but not cloying.
Vintage: |
2013 |
Wine Type: |
Dessert Wine / Port |
Varietal: |
DOC Vin Santo del Chianti |
Varietal Composition: |
40% |
Sancolombano |
30% |
Malvasia |
30% |
Trebbiano |
Appellation: |
Azienda Agricola San Benedetto |
Barrel Aging: |
4 years in chestnut barrels |
Alcohol %: |
16 |
Serve with strong cheeses and desserts, also as an apero or digestif.