Storia
The medieval stronghold
The village of CastelGiocondo occupies a commanding position above the estate at Montalcino. Its stronghold was built in 1100 to defend the route that led inland from the sea to Siena. The medieval settlement, its ancient tower and the surrounding vineyards continue to define the estate’s landscape.
A later episode in Sienese history supplies the image now associated with CastelGiocondo. In 1323, Guidoriccio da Fogliano, commander of Siena’s troops, led the attack on the castle of Montemassi. Simone Martini depicted the condottiere in a celebrated fresco, and the mounted figure was subsequently adopted for CastelGiocondo’s labels. The event coincided with the period in which the Frescobaldi family began its centuries-long involvement with wine.
The beginnings of Brunello
CastelGiocondo was among the first four Montalcino properties to begin producing Brunello in 1800. Brunello was therefore being made at the estate during the formative period of the wine, establishing CastelGiocondo’s historical connection with the denomination.
Merlot and Lamaione
During the 1970s, Merlot was planted as an experiment in an unusually clay-rich part of the estate. The principal Lamaione vineyard dates from 1976. The project culminated in the first Lamaione in 1991, creating a separate Merlot expression within the predominantly Sangiovese landscape of Montalcino.
The estate today
Tenuta CastelGiocondo is owned by the Frescobaldi family. Its contemporary identity joins the medieval village and stronghold, the early history of Brunello production, estate vineyards extending from roughly 300 metres to the higher slopes, and a collection of contemporary art displayed at the property.
Terroir
Tenuta CastelGiocondo lies southwest of Montalcino in the Province of Siena. The estate is dominated by an ancient tower and a small medieval village, with the main vineyard landscape situated at approximately 300 metres above sea level.
The estate combines markedly different exposures and geological conditions. Its soils include galestro, clay and Pliocene sands. The Brunello vineyards also include well-draining marly ground, while a south-facing sector at approximately 350 metres has rocky soil of Eocene origin.
Ripe al Convento occupies the estate’s higher hills. Its selected Sangiovese site reaches approximately 450 metres, faces south and receives the warm afternoon sun. Schistose and galestro-rich or marly soils are coupled with cooling Mediterranean winds. Older vineyard specifications place the parcel between approximately 350 and 420 metres and describe dark, calcareous, clay-rich ground with abundant calcium and mineral elements and an alkaline to sub-alkaline reaction.
Lamaione lies at approximately 300 metres with a southwest exposure. Its Merlot grows in marine clay. The clay is also characterised by limestone, mineral elements and a slightly alkaline reaction.
The vineyards used for Campo ai Sassi occupy deeper soils. Across the estate, the combination of differing elevations, exposures, galestro, clay, marl, rocky Eocene formations and Pliocene sand creates multiple growing environments for Sangiovese and Merlot.
Vinificazione
Sangiovese and Merlot are selected according to vineyard and intended expression. The Brunello fruit undergoes rigorous selection in the vineyard, while Ripe al Convento is hand-harvested only after careful parcel selection. Its clusters are checked again at the winery and individual berries are manually selected.
Merlot from Lamaione is carefully selected and harvested by hand into crates. After destemming, the berries are manually sorted. Historic descriptions record low spur-pruned-cordon training and a density of 5,500 vines/ha in both Lamaione and selected Sangiovese vineyards.
Seasonal vineyard work responds to the conditions of each vintage. The estate has highlighted canopy management, including generous leaf removal where deep, well-drained soils required closer control, and long-established agronomic decisions intended to protect vines during periods of high summer temperatures. Harvest timing is adjusted to physiological and phenolic ripeness rather than a fixed calendar.
Production is organised around separate handling of Sangiovese and Merlot parcels, with manual selection playing a central role for the principal estate wines.
Sangiovese for CastelGiocondo is selected on sorting tables after arrival at the winery. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, accompanied by frequent pump-overs, particularly during the opening stages. The wine then matures in wood until structural and aromatic balance is reached, followed by further bottle ageing.
Ripe al Convento is harvested manually and subjected to a second, berry-by-berry selection at the winery. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel with frequent early pump-overs to extract colour and structure. Wood maturation promotes stability and develops aromatic and structural complexity. The Riserva is released in the sixth year after harvest, following additional bottle refinement. Earlier specifications record a 30-day maceration, malolactic fermentation immediately after alcoholic fermentation, and maturation in Slavonian oak casks and French oak barrels, including at least two years in wood and six months in bottle.
For Lamaione, hand-picked Merlot arrives in crates, is destemmed and then sorted manually. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled steel tanks. The current regime matures the wine for 21 months in French oak barriques, 80% of them new, before further bottle ageing. Historical regimes varied by vintage; the inaugural 1991 specification records a 20-day maceration, immediate malolactic fermentation and 18 months in barriques, half new and half previously used.
Campo ai Sassi is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Punch-downs break the cap and support polyphenolic extraction. The Sangiovese then matures in the cellar, including oak-barrel ageing, before further development in bottle.
Fresh Sangiovese pomace separated from the free-run wine destined for Brunello is also pot-distilled to produce CastelGiocondo Grappa.
Filosofia
CastelGiocondo’s approach centres on expressing the differences within the Montalcino estate rather than treating it as a uniform site. Variations in elevation, exposure and soils—galestro, clay, marl, rocky Eocene formations and Pliocene sand—are used to shape distinct interpretations of Sangiovese, while the clay-rich Lamaione site supports a separate Merlot project.
Selection is a defining principle. For the principal Sangiovese parcels, quality decisions begin among the vines and continue on sorting tables, reaching individual-berry selection for Ripe al Convento. Controlled fermentation and extended maturation are used to preserve parcel identity while building stability, balance and longevity.
The estate also presents itself as a meeting point of wine, landscape, medieval history and contemporary art. The preservation of the ancient village and stronghold, the condottiere emblem and the Artisti per Frescobaldi collection connect historical continuity with contemporary cultural patronage.