CENNATOIO is a family operated winery and vineyard, run by Leandro and Gabriella Alessi since 1970. Their son Emiliano joined in a few years ago.
The place has remained ‘sweet to see’ (cit. Guido Cavalcanti – Italian XIII century poet from Florence) throughout the years. The typical views of the Chianti Classico one can enjoy from CENNATOIO are breathtaking: rolling hills covered in vineyards and olive groves, dotted with churches and castles or even home to large oak forests. The unique hard-to-till, rocky, schistous clay soil, together with the site southern exposure create the perfect growing conditions for Sangiovese Grosso, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grape varieties, where the latter is the key grape in the production of fleshy, smooth wines reminiscent of wild berries.

CENNATOIO fine vineyards sit on the Florence-Siena border and stretch over 2 hectares at an altitude of 600/620 meters above sea level. All our vines enjoy a southern/south-eastern exposure.
Another story goes that CENNATOIO is named after the Italian word ‘CENNO’ (‘gesture’) that in turn takes its name from CENNATOIO proximity to the place where the historic Stinche Alte prison and outpost of the Republic of Florence during the Medici rule used to sit, hence from the ‘gestures’ that were sent from the courtyard of the manor to the Medici soldiers.

Our hands-on experience and love for nature, patiently built up over time, in 1991 led us to shift completely to natural fertilizers while avoiding the use of herbicides that would damage the crop and pose a threat to the habitat of the bees that live in the many hives sitting along the edges of the estate-owned woods and give us their premium honey.

CENNATOIO is an Organic Certified farm whose winemaking mastery – delivered by enologist LUCIANO BANDINI assisted by his reliable cellar master Ildegarda Agnelli – represents the winery’s cornerstone. Our cellars host stainless steel, French barrique and tonneaux casks All these provide the finishing touch to the crafting and ageing of our wines.

Essentially, the natural inherent character of the site is enhanced by a vinification system capable of retaining the area’s ancient winemaking tradition while keeping in step with the times and embracing state-of-the-art winemaking techniques.

One can say that this land, home to ancient and refined traditions like the art of winemaking that from the dawn of history has imparted vigour to human labour, overlooks from a specific and memory-laden place the burning immensity of the Chianti region that perhaps Homer himself could call ‘The Colour of Wine’.