Really pretty fruit here with currants and spices with some fresh flowers. Medium to full body. Fine tannins. Focused and real. From organically grown grapes. Give this three or four years to soften. Drink after 2026.
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There are few other wineries anywhere that have such an aura of vinicultural history as that of Badia a Coltibuono. In Europe, it is not too difficult to find wineries that have origins dating back one, two, three, even five centuries, but the edifice at Badia a Coltibuono has been watching over winemaking for almost a thousand years—and the building was constructed long after wine was first made on the property. Grapeseeds and amphorae from the first century A.D. Roman period—evidence of wine production—have been found at an archaeological dig on the property, and even earlier ruins from the wine-savvy Etruscan culture are present as well.
That is not to say that Badia a Coltibuono was designed specifically as a winery all those years ago. It was established as an abbey (badia) in 1051 by St. Giovanni Gualberto, the founder of the Vallumbrosan Order of Benedictine monks. Of course, wine production was an important element of monastical life, and the Vallumbrosans may have been the first to cultivate Sangiovese in Tuscany. The abbey’s name, Coltibuono, can be translated as “Good Cultivation” or “Good Harvest,” perhaps indicating the importance of viticulture there.
Today, the Badia a Coltibuono estate in the Chianti Classico commune of Gaiole in Chianti is led by the fifth generation of family members: Emanuela, Paolo, and Roberto Stucchi Prinetti. There are 150 acres of vineyards on the property, along with another 50 acres of olive trees. This being Chianti Classico, Sangiovese is naturally the most important grape variety planted. However, the family honors Chianti’s heritage by also keeping significant numbers of vines of other traditional varieties that are allowed but often omitted in Chianti Classico: Canaiolo Nero, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Foglia Tonda, Malvasia Nera, Mammolo, Pugnitello, and Sanforte (as well as Trebbiano and Malvasia for Vin Santo). From these building blocks, Badia a Coltibuono makes a robust range of wines from the traditional to the innovative.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany VINEYARD: Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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93
JULY 2023
Badia a Coltibuono “Montebello” Toscana IGT 2018
![]() Really pretty fruit here with currants and spices with some fresh flowers. Medium to full body. Fine tannins. Focused and real. From organically grown grapes. Give this three or four years to soften. Drink after 2026. 91
OCTOBER 2023
Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2018
![]() Subtle, revealing rose, strawberry, cherry and white pepper aromas and flavors. Tightly wound, with solid grip, this feels youthful and is evolving at a glacier pace. Reveals fine balance and length, with a chalky, mineral finish. Sangiovese, Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo. Best from 2025 through 2040. 94
SEPTEMBER 2019
Badia a Coltibuono “Montebello” Toscana IGT 2015
![]() What happens when you blend the indigenous grapes Mammolo, Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Foglia Tonda, Malvasia Nera, Sanforte and Pugnitello? You get the 2015 Montebello. This is a beautifully intense and curious wine in that it challenges you to come up with precise clues to identify the individual grapes. The bouquet is broadly projected like a wide-screen television, with cherry, blackberry, spice, tar and licorice. The depth and complexity of this vintage is particularly attractive. There is crisp acidity at the end of this mid-weight delivery that makes this wine great for fatty cuts of beef or lamb. This wine may not be for everyone, but I definitely got a charge here. Only 6,800 bottles were produced. - ML 95
APRIL 2021
Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC Occhio di Pernice 2007
![]() Driven by honey and molasses, the Badia a Coltibuono 2007 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice is a pure beauty. Made with organic fruit, this dessert wine opens to a dark copper color and beautifully intense aromas of dried fruit, fig, honey, brown sugar and maple syrup. There is a vein of heat and warmth there that underlines the sweetness and the ripeness of the fruit. 90
NOVEMBER 2020
Cultusboni “RS” Chianti Classico DOCG 2018
![]() Best Buy! Bright and savory, this has aromas of black-skinned fruit, moist earth and blue flower. Soft and easy-drinking, the medium-bodied palate offers mature Marasca cherry, star anise and ground clove alongside smooth polished tannins. Drink through 2023. 93
AUGUST 2021
Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico DOCG 2018
![]() Though ripe and lush, this is also dense, with pointed tannins giving a physical sensation and lifting the cherry, strawberry and floral flavors. Finds a nice youthful equilibrium in the end, where mouthwatering acidity roams. Best from 2023 through 2038. 94
NOVEMBER 2021
Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2016
![]() Primarily Sangiovese with small amounts of Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo and Colorino. Bright garnet of medium intensity; aromas of morel cherry, heather, cedar and dried red flowers. Medium-full, this offers beautiful varietal character and typicity. Mediumweight, refined tannins, beautifully integrated, subtle wood notes. Notable persistence, lovely harmony – a well-made and expressive traditional styled Chianti Classico riserva. Enjoyable now, but will reveal greater character in another 2-3 years, with peak drinking in 6-10 years. 92
OCTOBER 2023
Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC 2013
![]() A medium-weight dessert white, evoking caramel, almond paste, brown butter and orange peel flavors. Lively, ending with a lingering, caramel nuttiness. Trebbiano and Malvasia. Drink now through 2040. |