When it comes to Chianti, there`s no estate we love more than Rocca di Montegrossi. Parts of Tuscany can look quite manicured, but there`s a romantic wildness here; the vineyards and olive groves are beautifully tended, but the soils are rocky and the forest encroaches. The estate is in the heart of the original Chianti Classico zone, in the commune of Gaiole, equidistant between Florence, Siena and Arezzo - owner Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi likes to describe his wines as `Gaiol-ish` in character. The very stony, calcium-rich soils help fix colour in the wines, so they will often be a shade darker than elsewhere in Chianti. Rocca di Montegrossi may only date to 1994 as an independent winery, but its roots go very much further back than that. It was Marco`s great-grandfather Baron Ricasoli who created the formula for Chianti as we know it today, though the family has been making wine locally since the 12th century. Marco takes this inheritance seriously - clearly he feels his place in history and strives to make the most of what he has been given to pass on to future generations. (NT 08/04/22)