It is no understatement that in Italy—and for that matter around the world—Chianti is an iconic name of undeniable appeal among wine lovers. With historical references as old as the 13th century, Tuscany’s Chianti wine occupies a singularly important position in Italy, with more than 17,000 acres of Chianti Classico-designated vineyards.

Fattorie Melini is the top range of Tuscan wines from Melini, a historic Chianti estate since 1705. The Fattorie line uses only 100% estate-grown grapes from Chianti’s most renowned vineyards, creating benchmark wines such as “La Selvanella”, the first single vineyard wine in Chianti.

Alessandro Zanette represents the new generation of winemaking at Fattorie Melini, continuing in the footsteps of Marco Galeazzo and the patriarch and esteemed oenologist Nunzio Capurso. The winery, located in Gaggiano di Poggibonsi, sits carved out of a steep 1,800-foot hillside; benefitting from this design, multi-stage fermenters accomplish the progressive phases of vinification by gravity rather than forced pumping. Old Limousin casks rather than the more common Slavonian are used for aging each of the Chiantis.