Storia
Establishment at Castellina in Chianti
Villa Cerna became part of the Cecchi family's holdings in the early 1960s. This period marked the family's decision, under its third generation and a second Luigi Cecchi, to establish Castellina in Chianti as the centre of its activities. Villa Cerna subsequently became the family's historic base in Chianti Classico.
The property occupies the first vine-covered hill encountered when travelling from Siena into the Chianti Classico DOCG area. Following the acquisition, the family restored the manor house and constructed a winery amid 80 hectares of vineyards. Production at Castellina was developed around quality and agronomic experimentation, helping consolidate the family's presence in the denomination.
The fourth generation
With the arrival of the fourth generation, represented by Andrea Cecchi, the family expanded its activity into other established winegrowing territories in Tuscany and Umbria. Villa Cerna retained its place as the historic heart of the business and its principal expression of Chianti Classico heritage.
The family's work in Castellina has evolved through vineyard care, clone selection, zoning, agronomic research and attention to terroir. Sangiovese remains the reference variety, interpreted through the Chianti Classico, Riserva and Gran Selezione categories.
The 125th-anniversary celebrations
In December 2017, Villa Cerna hosted the second edition of Lights in the Vineyard, the opening event in the celebrations of the Cecchi family's 125th anniversary. Illuminated projections animated the Villa Cerna hillside and the main façade of the family headquarters, using the Sangiovese vine leaf and the anniversary emblem as central motifs.
The anniversary was celebrated in 2018 through three Chianti Classico expressions—Storia di Famiglia, Riserva di Famiglia and Valore di Famiglia—whose labels received a commemorative redesign. Valore di Famiglia, a pure-Sangiovese Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, was scheduled for release in July 2018.
Terroir
Villa Cerna lies at Castellina in Chianti, on the first vine-covered hill encountered when travelling from Siena into the Chianti Classico DOCG area. The estate is surrounded by 80 hectares of vineyards and forms the Cecchi family's historic base within the denomination.
Sangiovese is the reference variety of this setting. Its interpretation is supported by vineyard care, clone selection, zoning, agronomic development and attention to the relationship between the vines and their terroir.
Vinificazione
Vineyard care, clone selection and close attention to terroir are central to the approach at the family's estates. In Castellina in Chianti, research into Sangiovese clones, zoning and agronomic development form part of the continuing evolution of vineyard management. Sangiovese is cultivated as the historic reference variety for the three Chianti Classico categories: Chianti Classico, Riserva and Gran Selezione.
A purpose-built winery was constructed at Villa Cerna following the property's acquisition in the early 1960s. It stands with the restored manor house amid 80 hectares of vineyards and forms part of the family's production and administrative centre at Castellina in Chianti. The development of production here has been associated with quality-focused work and agronomic experimentation.
Filosofia
Villa Cerna's role within the Cecchi family's work is rooted in the interpretation and preservation of Chianti Classico heritage. The guiding principles combine vineyard care, clone selection and attention to terroir with experimentation and agronomic development.
The broader family philosophy seeks a balance between inherited knowledge, experimentation and sustainability. Its stated objective is to preserve and enhance the winegrowing heritage of its territories for future generations while allowing each grape variety and vintage to retain its distinguishing character.