Fattoria Felsina

We feel so honoured that Fèlsina’s Vin Santo has been chosen by Franco Ricci, President of Italian Sommelier Foundation, as one of the three wines given as a gift to Pope Francis for this Christmas, in representation of the Italian Sommelier Foundation.

In 1966, Domenico Poggiali found a cellar set into the tufa hills of his estate. It was small, built of stone with a wide brick vault. Construction of an underground wine cellar connecting with the old stables, once home to fine horses, was completed in the early 1970s and is still used for aging.

In 1998, Giovanni and his father Giuseppe Poggiali introduced new technology into their winemaking techniques — stainless steel — instrumentation that allows more precision for winemakers and cellar masters. With this innovation, tradition is maintained and renewed, while remaining faithful to the values that characterizeFèlsina’s production: balance, consistency and style.

Fèlsina is located on the southeast edge of the Chianti Classico appellation, between the last spurs of the Chianti hills and the beginning of the Ombrone valley. The entire Fèlsina estate covers 600 hectares, of which 95 is planted with vines. From a geological viewpoint, Fèlsina is a “frontier land” nestled between the Chianti Classico and Crete Senesi areas, in the direction of Montalcino.

Essentially rocky calcareous soil, with a preponderance of laminated marl, are common characteristics in Chianti, along with layers of sandstone with silt and clay, with marine sediments rich in minerals found in other Chianti areas. The effects are incredibly uniform and yield characteristics, which are specific expressions of the terrain andFèlsina’s wines.

The result of a unique marriage between land and viticulture, the toil of human hands, science and wisdom, the vineyards of Fèlsina express the uniqueness of the terroir, landscapes, scents, the sounds of this corner of Tuscany, reviving history and tradition.

The great transformation of vinification and aging techniques and collaboration with laboratory technicians has not changed the heart of the winemaker. Guarding his wines, meticulous and careful, the same man whose job is quieter and introverted in the winter takes center stage during spring and summer.

The magic of harvest time, when the ripe grapes are plucked row by row and taken to the cellars, is the culmination of the work and lives of the farmers who have prepared the ground, planted and nurtured, feeding, cultivating, working the land, with great balance and respect, to preserve nature’s gift of perfection.