Mastrojanni

Foundation (1975)

Mastrojanni was founded in 1975, when Rome-based lawyer Gabriele Mastrojanni bought the Loreto and San Pio farms in Tuscany. He judged that their unspoiled land, with poor soils on wooded hills, would suit vineyards. Father and son worked together and understood that the new vineyards lay in one of Italy's great terroirs, and they sought to express its distinctive qualities in their wines.

The first wines already showed an elegant style with a clear sense of place. Gabriele Mastrojanni came to be recognised as a producer of wines with excellent ageing potential.

Second generation (early 1990s)

His son Antonio took over the company in the early 1990s and maintained the same reputation.

Illy ownership (2008)

In 2008, several years after Gabriele's death, his heirs sold the estate to the family-owned Illy holding company. The new owners shared the estate's established methods and principles and changed very little. The estate remains among the top ten producers of Brunello di Montalcino.

The vineyards lie in Tuscany on the Loreto and San Pio farms, on wooded hills with unspoiled land and poor soils. The Mastrojanni family regarded the site as one of Italy's great terroirs.

The estate practises traditional grape growing with minimal human intervention. The harvest takes place in 3 stages: first, damaged and diseased bunches are removed; then healthy, fully ripe bunches are picked; several days later the remaining grapes are picked once ripe.

Grapes are sorted again at the winery on a dedicated conveyor so that only the best fruit is used. Must is fermented in reinforced concrete tanks, which are said to offer several advantages over stainless steel. The finest part of the harvest is vinified in vats made from Vosges oak. Human intervention is kept to a minimum. The wines can continue to develop in the bottle for 10-15 years.

The Mastrojanni family holds to traditional grape growing and winemaking, with a philosophy of respect for nature and "humility". Its stated aim is to preserve the grapes' natural character with minimal human intervention in vineyard and winery, an approach that often requires more work than usual. The family sought to express the distinctive qualities of its terroir in its wines.