Villa Sant’Anna is the kind of Tuscan estate that feels like a family heirloom passed down through generations of Ruggeri Fabroni women—now led by the indomitable Simona and her daughters Anna and Margherita, who transformed a sleepy bulk-wine property into a benchmark for elegant Vino Nobile di Montepulciano starting in the late 1980s. Picture this: a sprawling 80-hectare mixed farm hugging the hills near Abbadia di Montepulciano, where 15–18 hectares of high-density Sangiovese (local Prugnolo Gentile) dig into classic clay-sand-tufa-limestone soils, flanked by olive groves producing stellar extra-virgin oil and fields of traditional arable crops. Wines age gracefully in massive Slavonian oak casks and select barriques in their almost secretive, centuries-old underground cellars in the heart of Montepulciano village.

The 2018 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a textbook beauty from a balanced vintage: plush cherry-berry fruit laced with violet perfume, dried herbs, tobacco, and a whisper of balsamic earthiness, all wrapped in velvety tannins and vibrant acidity that make it strut like high-toned Chianti Classico but with Montepulciano’s deeper soul. Aged traditionally for two years in wood (slavonian botte for breadth, barriques for finesse), it’s the estate’s calling card—structured enough for cellaring yet irresistibly approachable now, proving once again why these matriarchs have somms and collectors whispering their name.

Why You’ll Love It

• Matriarchal Mastery: All-women team channeling centuries of Tuscan know-how into refined, terroir-true Nobile that overdelivers on elegance.

• Classic 2018 Balance: Ripe yet fresh—plush red fruits, spice, and mineral snap from a classic growing season. Elegance over power.

• Underdog Value: Centuries old underground cellars + old-school aging = village-level nobility that rivals pricier Riservas.

How to Serve It

• Temperature & Glass: 60–62°F in a large Bordeaux stem; decant 30–60 minutes to bloom the aromatics.

• Food Pairings: Pasta al ragù, wild boar stew, grilled sausages, aged Pecorino, or mushroom risotto.

• Drink Window: Peak drinking 2026–2032; cellars beautifully for another decade.