Nozzole

Earlier history

The agricultural property dates to 1300. Villa di Nozzole, the residence standing at the summit of the estate hill, is a Renaissance-style building dating from the 17th century.

The Folonari family's wine history reaches back to the late 18th century. Lorenzo Folonari, born in Valtellina in 1729, moved the family to Val Camonica. The family subsequently became involved in commerce and then wine production. In 1882, Lorenzo's descendants Italo and Francesco Folonari transferred the headquarters of Fratelli Folonari from Val Camonica to Brescia. They acquired the Tuscan wine house Ruffino in 1911.

From mass production to estate wine

In the early 1960s, Nino Folonari, Italo's son, abandoned the family's emphasis on mass production in favour of quality-oriented winemaking. He acquired Tenuta di Nozzole in 1971, following the purchase of nearby Tenuta del Cabreo in 1967. The 1971 harvest also became the first vintage of Nozzole Chianti Classico.

La Forra was first produced in 1980 from a historic cru whose vineyard descends from a ridge into a gorge surrounded by woodland and lakes. During the 1980s, the estate also developed Il Pareto as a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon Supertuscan project based on the suitability of the local terrain for an international grape; its estate chronology associates the project with 1987. Le Bruniche Chardonnay followed with its first harvest in 1986.

Cellar development and new projects

The estate's monumental barrel cellar was conceived during the 1990s. Its vaulted hall was designed to maintain stable temperature and humidity for barriques, tonneaux and large seasoned-oak casks. It also provides access to a vault holding more than 25,000 bottles of cru wines from seven Tuscan appellations, covering vintages from the 1980s onward.

Vin Santo entered the estate range with the 1996 vintage. It preserved a traditional production cycle centred on the historic vinsantaia beside Villa di Nozzole, where Trebbiano and Malvasia are hung to dry after harvest.

Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari Tenute

In 2000, Nino's son Ambrogio and grandson Giovanni created Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari Tenute around five family-owned Tuscan estates. Their programme combined investment in the properties with renewed attention to the identity and diversity of each territory. Giovanni initially managed foreign sales, later became chief executive and replaced his father at the head of the company in May 2017. Ambrogio subsequently held the position of Honorary President.

Giovanni Folonari Gran Selezione debuted in 2013 as a numbered, limited-production wine conceived by Giovanni Folonari. The project marked a deliberate return to the traditional use of large seasoned-oak casks for pure Sangiovese.

A new sales and tasting centre opened at Nozzole in 2020. Designed by Studio Mori & Associati of Greve in Chianti and built by local craftspeople, it formed part of a wider investment programme that included vineyard expansion and complete automation of bottling operations. The interior combines contemporary design with Impruneta terracotta and handcrafted furnishings; its windows look across the vineyards, pergola and Mediterranean garden.

The 2021 vintage inaugurated Ambrogio Folonari Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano, sourced from the Casa di Sala vineyards. The project commemorates Ambrogio Folonari's investment in Panzano beginning in the 1970s and his contribution to the development of modern Tuscan wine.

Tenuta di Nozzole lies in Greve in Chianti, in the northern part of the province of Florence and within the northern sector of Chianti Classico. The River Greve, one of the three rivers of Chianti, crosses the municipality from north to south.

The estate occupies a hill rising from approximately 150 to 300 metres above sea level, with Villa di Nozzole at its summit. Individual winegrowing zones extend higher: the principal Sangiovese vineyards are described at 280–380 metres, La Forra at 300–330 metres, the Cabernet Sauvignon sites at 330–370 metres and Casa di Sala in Panzano at approximately 450 metres.

Greve has a continental climate. Clay- and marl-rich soils define the broader setting, while the estate's main Greve vineyards are described more specifically as loamy-clayey and poor in coarse skeletal material. Mediterranean scrub forms part of the vineyard ecosystem.

La Forra descends from a ridge into a gorge surrounded by woods and lakes. The Chardonnay associated with Le Bruniche has also been grown in north-facing sites nearest the River Greve, where the contrast between daytime and nighttime temperatures is pronounced. Casa di Sala differs geologically from the core Greve sites: its soils are friable galestro and alberese with abundant aggregates, while pronounced diurnal temperature variation shapes the Panzano growing environment.

Sangiovese is the estate's principal variety and is cultivated for the annata, Riserva and Gran Selezione interpretations of Chianti Classico. It is joined by a dedicated Chardonnay vineyard, two historic Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards and a vineyard planted predominantly to Trebbiano and Malvasia for Vin Santo.

Training varies by site and project. Low spur-pruned cordon is used in the principal Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, while La Forra and Casa di Sala are Guyot trained. Recorded planting densities range from 2,800 vines per hectare in the Vin Santo vineyard to 5,000 vines per hectare in selected Sangiovese sites.

Winter dry pruning begins the annual cycle. The operation is adjusted to the condition of each vine, row and vineyard, both to regulate productivity and to help protect the plants from frost. As harvest approaches, berries from individual vineyards are tasted to determine their readiness for the corresponding wine project. The broader harvest sequence begins with Chardonnay, followed by the other varieties; Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon can extend the estate's harvest into October.

Vin Santo grapes undergo two selections described as a double harvest: the first takes place in the vineyard, while the second follows the drying period in the vinsantaia. Healthy Trebbiano and Malvasia bunches are picked and hung on supports in the historic space beside Villa di Nozzole until the desired concentration is reached, generally in December or January.

Cellar and maturation spaces

The monumental barrel cellar was conceived in the 1990s beneath vaulted ceilings. Its temperature and humidity remain stable throughout the year to preserve the wooden vessels and support steady maturation. The hall contains barriques, tonneaux and large seasoned-oak casks. A passage connects it to the historical-vintage vault.

Red-wine production

The estate's Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon reds ferment in stainless steel and generally remain in contact with their skins for approximately four weeks. Maturation is then adapted to the intended expression. The Nozzole annata spends about 20 months across large oak casks, barriques and stainless steel before bottle refinement. La Forra matures for at least 24 months in barriques. Il Pareto spends at least 30 months in barriques before bottle refinement. Giovanni Folonari Gran Selezione matures for at least 30 months in large oak casks, while the Panzano Gran Selezione spends at least 30 months in oak before bottle aging.

The use of wood is a defining point of differentiation within the Chianti Classico range. Smaller toasted barrels support some projects, whereas large seasoned-oak casks represent the estate's traditional Tuscan approach and are central to Giovanni Folonari Gran Selezione.

White-wine production

Le Bruniche undergoes white vinification and temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel. The more detailed process includes reductive handling after cold static settling, fermentation at 18°C in steel and approximately six months on the lees, followed by at least two months of bottle refinement.

Vin Santo

Trebbiano and Malvasia are hung in the historic vinsantaia after harvest. When the desired concentration is reached in December or January, the dried fruit is removed from the hanging supports and softly pressed. A very slow winter fermentation takes place in small oak barrels. The wine then remains in barriques for seven years, with periodic rackings providing natural clarification. It receives at least three months of bottle refinement and is bottled without fining or filtration.

Bottling and historical vintages

Bottling for the family's estates takes place at Nozzole on an automated line. Special gift packs retain manual finishing: staff assemble the cases, seal them and apply the relevant lot identification. Selected older bottles undergo uncorking, tasting and sensory analysis. Bottles judged sound are refilled as necessary, closed with a new natural cork and retain the original cork attached to the neck before entering the historical-vintage vault.

The family's declared values are innovation, creativity, research and respect for diversity. At estate level, these principles are expressed through investment in individual Tuscan properties and an emphasis on wines with a clear relationship to their place of origin.

Nozzole's approach combines traditional vessels with project-specific choices. Large seasoned-oak casks are treated as a symbol of Tuscan tradition, while smaller toasted barrels and stainless steel allow other interpretations of the same estate fruit. The Chianti Classico wines are all based on estate Sangiovese, with differences created partly through their respective maturation regimes.

The family's viticultural and oenological philosophy favours accompanying natural development through observation and responsive work. This is characterised as an oenology of listening more than intervention: pruning responds to each vine and row, harvest decisions involve repeated tasting of fruit from individual vineyards, and maturation decisions are made collectively by the oenologists, agronomist and cellar team.

Il Pareto represents the estate's research-oriented side. Rather than beginning with an indigenous variety, the project examined the suitability of Nozzole's terrain for Cabernet Sauvignon. Giovanni Folonari Gran Selezione expresses the complementary traditional direction, returning pure Sangiovese to large seasoned-oak casks.