Discover our terroir
The estate is 50 hectares large (123 acres), 14 hectares (34 acres) are vineyards where grow all the grapes used to produce Campochiarenti wines. Vines are between 10 and 40 years old. One of the most important work done in vineyards is to keep as healthy as possible all the vines in order to maintain the high quality level of the wines produced. This the reason why vines are not explanted but treated and replaced when dead, so it is possible to assure a high quality of the grapes produced although the quantity is low. Summarizing the result is low production but high concentration and typicalness of the grapes that is easily recognizable in our wines.
The production philosophy of Campochiarenti is by now delineated: quality grows in vineyard. This is why work in field is essential to produce excellent wines. The growth of the vines is strictly related to the climate, to the water availability, to the sun, and to the chemical elements available in the soil that feed the vines. For this reason we decided to stop chemical weeding more than 25 years ago; all the weeds are mechanically or manually removed. The soil is naturally balanced without using poisons. If something is not in the soil cannot be in the grapes, neither in the wine. The wine produced is healthier and more natural.
Although it is still impossible to get healthy grapes without using treatments against their diseases, it is possible to minimize the treatments number, at the same time minimizing the effect on the wine. Campochiarenti’s approach is based on the ancestral rural wisdom, joined to modern scientific research, in order to obtain grapes with traditional flavors.
We don’t want to get new “classifications” for our wines, we don’t like to increase bureaucracy and cost of wine asking to a certification authority to evaluate our work. We assure and guarantee to work in the best possible way following our experience and our tradition. This is the best warranty we offer to our customers, with Campochiarenti name and a history made by more than 1000 years and the experience of many generations.
The main varieties planted are Sangiovese and Vernaccia di San Gimignano, that are mainly used to produce Chianti Colli Senesi and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Also if the last one is a single vine variety, it is not a single clone. Different clones have been planted in different vineyards in order to better express the typicality that comes from the soil.
This reason is a fortiori valid for the Chianti Colli Senesi that is a blend of many autochthonous Tuscan grapes. Some different clones of Colorino, Canaiolo, with Mammolo, Ciliegiolo and Foglia Tonda have been planted in our vineyards, all of these are autochthonous grapes of Tuscany; when they are used with Sangiovese, are able to create an ideal blend to get a typical and traditional wine strictly related to the region. Sangiovese variety is the one with the largest number of clones. So the clones that better suit the soil and the exposure were chosen for every vineyard.