Storia
The historic site
The estate’s historic cellar dates to 1067. Tenuta Mocenni stands just north of Siena at Vagliagli, within the Chianti Classico production area. It is now one of the estates cultivated by the Bindi Sergardi family.
Family origins in Siena
The Bindi Sergardi lineage is traced to 1349. Originally from Montalcino, the family subsequently moved to Siena and enrolled in the city’s Monte, or Order of the People. Its members combined agriculture with roles in the political and administrative life of the Sienese state.
In 1463, Niccolò di Giovanni served in the Consistory, a magistracy of the Republic of Siena. In 1496, he became consul of the Mercanzia. Achille later served as Master of Customs Duties on Salt in 1519. His son Niccolò was sent in 1530 to represent Siena before Pope Clement VII during the conflict surrounding the proposed restoration of the Medici in Florence. Between 1552 and 1557, Niccolò defended the freedom of Sienese institutions against the armies of Charles V.
The marriage of Calidonia Sergardi and Girolamo Bindi united the two families whose names form Bindi Sergardi. Their union remains part of Tenuta Mocenni’s identity through the Calidonia wine.
Twentieth-century continuity
In 1943, Chiara—daughter of Elisabetta Bindi Sergardi and wife of Alessandro Casini—carried the family enterprise through the wartime period in Italy. She had lost her father at 17 and was widowed by the war. Her legacy within the family was one of resilience and commitment to agriculture.
In 1961, Nicolò Casini expressed the family’s relationship with its land as the result of many years of work, perseverance and shared family support. His account emphasized the land’s strong and honest response to sustained effort and the seasonal vitality and rigor of the vineyards.
The current generation
From 2005, Alessandra and Maddalena are presented as continuing the outlook of their grandmother and father. Their program joins precision sustainable agriculture in the vineyards with precision winemaking in the cellar. It also extends to the presentation of the wines, hospitality and the enhancement of Siena’s territory and local culture. Their objective is to keep the enterprise evolving so that it can pass to the next generation.
Terroir
Tenuta Mocenni lies in Tuscany, just north of Siena, at Vagliagli in the southern part of the Chianti Classico production area. Its documented vineyards occupy elevations of approximately 450–500 metres above sea level.
The estate’s defining soils are Alberese and Galestro. Their mineral character is reflected in the emphasis placed on salinity and minerality in the estate’s wines. The balance between local soil and climate is treated as the foundation of Mocenni’s identity.
Parcel elevations differ within this high-altitude setting. Ghirlanda, Presoni, Vigna della signora Chiara, Finocchi and Perone are associated with vineyards at about 450 metres. Particella 89 and Particella 91 are at about 500 metres. A wood surrounds the vineyard known as La Ghirlanda, giving this site a distinct landscape context within the estate.
Vinificazione
Viticulture follows a precision and sustainability-oriented approach. Respect for nature and people is combined with the pursuit of quality, authenticity and integrity. The environmental program includes the use of organic fertilizers and hormonal deterrents, the maintenance of woods and water sources, and the planting of locally characteristic trees such as cypresses and holm oaks.
Landscape stewardship also encompasses renovation and maintenance of the family properties. Biodiversity protection is treated as a primary objective rather than an isolated vineyard practice.
Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon blocks are trained to spur cordon and Guyot. The documented estate wines are based on manually harvested fruit followed by careful selection of the bunches. No formal organic or biodynamic certification is identified.
Tenuta Mocenni’s red-wine production begins with careful bunch selection and manual harvesting. The grapes are destemmed and gently pressed before fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats.
For the documented Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, fermentation temperatures are generally 28–30°C. Maceration varies with the selection: approximately 16–18 days for La Ghirlanda, 18–20 days for Calidonia and around 20 days for the two numbered-parcel wines.
The maturation program is matched to vineyard and classification. La Ghirlanda is associated with approximately 12 months in 50 hl oak barrels. Calidonia undergoes malolactic fermentation in 42 hl oak barrels and matures for approximately 18 months. Mocenni 89 undergoes malolactic fermentation and about 24 months of ageing in 42 hl oak barrels. Mocenni 91 is transferred after alcoholic fermentation to French-oak barriques, where malolactic fermentation takes place, followed by approximately 24 months of maturation.
The wines receive an additional period of refinement in bottle at the estate before release. The production approach is described as precision winemaking, intended to preserve the distinct identity of the individual vineyards and the Alberese-and-Galestro terroir.
Filosofia
The family regards wine-growing territories as cultural heritage that must be protected and enhanced through social, environmental and economic sustainability. Respect for nature and people accompanies the continuing pursuit of quality, authenticity and integrity in production, together with an openness to future challenges.
At Tenuta Mocenni, this outlook is expressed through precision sustainable agriculture, precision winemaking and parcel selection. The purpose is to give each wine a strong relationship with its place, culture and history while allowing individual vineyards and vintages to retain their identity.
Landscape protection forms part of the same philosophy. Family properties are maintained and renovated; cypresses and holm oaks are planted; woods and water sources are cared for; and ecologically sustainable agricultural techniques are used in both vineyard and cellar. The current generation also sees stewardship as a responsibility to Siena’s local culture and to the generation that will inherit the estate.