Castello di Fonterutoli
The hamlet of Fonterutoli, an old bastion of Florence only a few kilometers from Castellina in Chianti, is blessed with an extraordinary view of Siena, which is so close that it is possible to discern the Torre del Mangia and the outline of the Duomo.
The centuries-old ownership of Marchesi Mazzei has preserved the handful of houses, the church of San Miniato, and the villa erected at the end of the 1500's in place of the citadel, more or less unchanged. Time stopped here, maintaining the charm of the Middle Ages.
In 1202 and 1208 Fonterutoli was the location of two peace treaties between Florence and Siena, when the territory of Chianti was ceded to Florence. A popular legend tells a funny story: At the beginning of the XIII century the two cities, worn by the war over Chianti, decided to assign the definition of the border to the meeting point between two knights each coming from their city at cockcrow. The Florentines relied on a black rooster, which having been left without food crowed well before daybreak, allowing the knight from Florence to start with a great advantage and travel a long way before meeting precisely at Fonterutoli, almost within sight of Siena.
Florence brought its border to Fonterutoli on the line of Castellina, Radda, and Gaiole, and established the Military and Administrative Alliance of Chianti, choosing the Black Rooster as its shield.
A unique soil, where the dissolution of Alberese and sandstone rock confers a mineral, complex core.
The wisdom of Mazzei knew how to transform the arid and rocky land of Fonterutoli into a bounty, which adopted diversity into its main style.
The estate covers an overall surface of 650 hectares, where "only" 110 are for special vineyards organized into seven zones ranging between 220 and 570 meters above sea level, which are further divided into 114 single parcels. All in perfect harmony with other secondary cultivars and woods, an ideal environment for various kinds of free roaming wild game.
The grapes from these 114 parcels are harvested by hand, turned into wine and aged in wood barrels separately, transforming the value of diversity into an extraordinary breadth of bouquet and complexity.
Territory and identity
The excellence of the wines of Castello di Fonterutoli is renowned worldwide and represents one of the points of reference for the whole Chianti Classico.
Fonterutoli also produces Chianti Classico DOP Castello di Fonterutoli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, extraordinary in its refinement and personality thanks to the varieties of frantoio, leccino, noraiolo, and pendolino olives, and a proprietary olive press that presses the olives in an oxygen free atmosphere.
Still at Fonterutoli, Carla Mazzei is dedicated to growing Lavender, the essence of which is used to create the line of cosmetic products that carries her name.