Storia
From hospitality to Montalcino
The story began in 1982 with Cosimo Loia and Antonietta Palazzo. Originally from Benevento, the couple had spent thirty years in England and Scotland as restaurant entrepreneurs. They retained close ties to Italy, returning annually to relatives in Toscana and Campania while looking for a place where they could eventually settle.
During one of these journeys they stopped in Montalcino. Its rounded hills, woods, vineyards and old olive trees reminded them of the Sannio Beneventano. After visiting several properties, they chose a 12-hectare hillside estate overlooking the Val d’Orcia, with a rural farmhouse dating from the seventeenth century. The property was already called Palazzo, coincidentally sharing Antonietta’s surname.
Establishing the vineyards
Cosimo and Antonietta decided to become winegrowers and acquired planting rights for 5 hectares intended for Brunello di Montalcino. In 1985 they planted their first Sangiovese Grosso vines on portions of the property selected for their soils, slopes and exposures. Their children subsequently helped with the vineyard and cellar work.
Further parcels followed: Vigna del Bosco was planted in 1987; Vigna della Pietra in 1990–1991; Vigna Bel Vedere in plantings dated 1995 and 1999; and Vigna del Rigo in 2001.
First wines and Brunello
The family began vinifying its grapes in 1990, initially as Rosso di Montalcino. In 1994, when the original vines were nine years old and considered sufficiently mature, the family celebrated its first Brunello di Montalcino harvest.
The first 1985 vineyard was later named Vigneto Cosimo in memory of the founder. Grapes from this oldest and highest parcel are selected in suitable vintages for the Brunello di Montalcino Cosimo cru.
Organic conversion and the third generation
The conversion to organic farming began in 2008 and culminated in full organic certification in 2021. Three generations are now connected with the estate. Antonietta continues to supervise its daily life; Angelo primarily manages the vineyards and cellar, while Elia concentrates on sales. Aldo and Manio live in southern Scotland but return to assist during important harvest and vinification stages. Members of the third generation have also begun contributing, particularly to events and communications.
Terroir
Eastern Montalcino
The estate lies on the eastern slope of Montalcino, open toward the Val d’Orcia. Its vineyards descend on gentle slopes and face east, receiving sunlight from morning onward. The surrounding outlook encompasses the Val d’Orcia, Monte Amiata, the Apennines, the Crete Senesi, the hills of Montalcino and the medieval town itself.
The vineyard zone is well ventilated. The ridges of Montalcino shelter the property from marine breezes arriving from the west, while nearby woodland contributes further airflow. The wider area is influenced by the tramontana, a cold, dry wind that helps keep grapes healthy, and by the scirocco, which can be harmful during summer. The exposed position limits stagnant humidity and prolonged wetness during the growing season, providing natural protection against botrytis and downy mildew. These conditions allow clusters to remain on the vine for a long ripening period and support healthy fruit with suitable phenolic maturity.
Soils and slope
The vineyards contain substantial clay and stony material, with galestro forming the principal rocky component. Galestro strata dominate the steeper, higher ground. The estate associates this sector with greater power and structure, ripe fruit and soft, elegant tannins; a small selection from this upper area is used for the Cosimo cru.
Farther downslope, the proportion of galestro decreases while clay, sand and tuffaceous components become more prominent. The broader Montalcino soil sequence described for the area moves from predominantly Cretaceous formations below 200 metres to sand and, at higher elevations, layered galestro rock.
The property includes 4.2 hectares of vineyards, 2 hectares of olive groves and 4.5 hectares of woodland. The woods form a natural ecological buffer and help maintain the vines’ vegetative balance. Four vineyards surround the farmhouse and cellar; the more distant Vigna del Rigo is completely enclosed by woodland.
Vinificazione
The estate has followed an organic conversion programme since 2008 and has been fully certified organic since 2021. Chemical fertilisers are not used. Soil fertility is supported through green manure: selected crops are incorporated into the soil, with seed mixtures chosen parcel by parcel after chemical and physical soil analyses identify the nutrients required.
Harvesting, vine cleaning, green pruning and cluster selection are performed by hand. Strict selection during the growing cycle limits the crop and helps the remaining grapes reach harvest in healthy, fully mature condition. Sangiovese Grosso yields are kept below 65 quintals per hectare, equivalent to less than 6.5 tonnes per hectare and below the maximum permitted for Brunello di Montalcino DOCG.
Woodland bordering the vineyards supports airflow and vegetative balance. Rose bushes are planted at the heads of vineyard rows as early indicators of potential plant-health problems, allowing timely intervention. The dry, well-ventilated position further reduces humidity, botrytis and downy-mildew pressure and permits a prolonged ripening period.
Azienda Palazzo produces approximately 22,000 bottles annually. Its small scale allows the Loia Palazzo family to control the entire chain directly, including grape growing, vinification, maturation, refinement, bottling, packaging and cellar hospitality.
All wines undergo spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts at controlled temperatures. Grape maceration lasts 22–25 days. Gentle pump-overs are used and become progressively softer as the natural fermentation subsides.
A dedicated maturation area occupies part of the old farmhouse. A newer structure, designed to harmonise with the original rural architecture, accommodates vinification, bottling, storage and wine refinement. Part of this building is underground, maintaining a stable temperature of 14–16°C.
Filosofia
An open tradition
The family describes its approach as an “open tradition”: established experience and traditional principles remain the foundation, while modern equipment and new ideas are accepted when they work in harmony with nature. Vineyard work follows natural timing, with no attempt to hurry the vines.
Nature and wine quality are treated as inseparable. This principle underlies organic certification, the rejection of chemical fertilisers, parcel-specific green manure and careful manual work. The family’s goal is direct oversight of every production stage, made possible by the estate’s deliberately small scale.
Hospitality forms part of the same family philosophy. The family seeks direct contact with visitors and customers, listening to their preferences and observations while sharing its experience, work and relationship with the land.