Castell’in Villa is one of Tuscany’s most resolutely traditional estates, where proprietor Princess Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa releases her wines only when she believes they are ready, not when the market expects them.
Nowhere is this philosophy more vividly expressed than in “Santa Croce”, an equal‑parts Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon blend that, for most producers, would qualify as a library release, yet here emerges as the current offering after nearly eight years of slow evolution in French Allier barriques and large Slavonian casks. This is not the monolithic, polished style of Super Tuscan you find in Maremma or Bolgheri, but rather the soulful, unmistakably traditional expression of Castelnuovo Berardenga—the same village that is home to monumental estates like Fèlsina, San Felice, and Castello di Bossi. While these houses craft extraordinary Sangiovese, Castell’in Villa stands apart as the most steadfastly traditional and age‑worthy of them all.
The wine itself is exceedingly rare, produced only in vintages deemed exceptional, first made in 1982 and bottled barely eighteen times in more than forty years, giving it a cult aura that few Tuscan IGTs can match. Its Cabernet Sauvignon component carries a remarkable pedigree: the vines were planted in the 1960s, long before the Super Tuscan boom, and originate from the same historic massale selection that informed Sassicaia’s earliest plantings, part of a tiny pre‑clonal propagation network shared by only a handful of estates. As a result, the wine behaves less like modern Tuscan Cabernet and more like a meeting of old‑school Bordeaux and traditional Sangiovese—structured, savory, and built for decades.
Antonio Galloni captured its significance with a stunning 97‑point review, underscoring just how profound this wine is. For those who prize authenticity, Castell’in Villa represents a reference‑point estate in Chianti Classico, crafting wines that remain woodsy, earthy, tangy, and vividly expressive of place at a time when many producers have shifted toward softer, sweeter, more international styles.
The estate itself is a medieval hamlet outside Castelnuovo Berardenga, complete with a 13th‑century stone tower, chapel, and ancient farm buildings; since its purchase in 1968, it has grown from a single hectare of vines to a 300‑hectare property with 54 hectares under vine and 32 of olive groves. Known for releasing impeccably preserved back‑vintage wines from their cellars—bottles from the 1970s that can rival great red Burgundy—the Principessa continues to hold even her “current” Chianti Classico releases far longer than her peers, ensuring that every wine, from the humble annata to the majestic Santacroce, is structured for long life and unmistakably Castell’in Villa in character.
97 Points, Vinous Media:
“The 2016 Santa Croce is the estate’s blend of equal parts Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon that spent close to eight years in cask during a time when proprietor Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa was ill and some lots sat undisturbed in cellar for extended periods. Dark red fruit, rose petal, spice and menthol build in the glass. Most suprisingly, the 2016 is shockingly fresh for a wine of its age . This is a great, great wine. It’s not Sangiovese, it’s not Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s not a blend. It’s simply Castell’in Villa at its most profound.”
- Antonio Galloni, July 2025
