History
The medieval stronghold
The Castelgiocondo stronghold was built in 1100 to protect the route connecting the sea with Siena. The estate remains dominated by its ancient castle and small medieval village.
In 1323, Guidoriccio da Fogliano, commander of the Sienese troops, led the attack on Montemassi. Simone Martini commemorated the commander in a celebrated fresco. The mounted figure from that work was subsequently adopted for the CastelGiocondo label, linking the estate’s identity with the medieval history of the Sienese territory. This period also coincided with the beginning of the Frescobaldi family’s centuries-long involvement in wine.
Early Brunello production
CastelGiocondo was among the first four properties to begin producing Brunello di Montalcino in 1800. Its vineyards have therefore participated in Brunello production since the wine’s earliest period.
The Merlot experiment
During the 1970s, Merlot cuttings were planted as an experiment in an unusual area of clay soil. The 12-hectare Lamaione vineyard was planted in 1976 at approximately 300 metres above sea level. The project produced its first Lamaione in 1991, establishing a separate Merlot expression within an estate historically associated with Sangiovese.
Documented growing seasons
The 2010 season began with a frequently rainy spring that challenged canopy and disease management while replenishing groundwater. Summer alternated moderate rainfall with sunny conditions. September brought cool nights and warm, sunny days, and harvest concluded on 20 October with grapes at optimal maturity.
The 2011 growing season progressed regularly. Spring combined adequate rainfall with mild temperatures, followed by favourable early-summer conditions. A rise in temperature during the second half of August enabled concentrated, deeply coloured and healthy Sangiovese to reach advanced maturity.
The 2012 season was hot and dry, with little rainfall. Despite an unusually long harvest, the grapes remained healthy through its conclusion, and the sustained light and warmth promoted power and richness.
The 2013 season was comparatively regular. Frequent, well-distributed rain during spring and early summer supported unobstructed vineyard development. A hot summer without extreme temperature spikes favoured veraison, while cool nights alternating with sunny days during final ripening preserved varietal aromas and encouraged the accumulation of anthocyanins and tannins.
The 2014 winter was unusually mild. Spring quickly became sunny and warm, while a cool, rainy summer prolonged vegetative development. Dry weather, sunshine and marked day-to-night temperature differences during the second half of September accelerated ripening and produced grapes rich in aromatic, colouring and structural components.
The 2015 Sangiovese began budding in the first week of April. The vines benefited from water reserves accumulated during 2014 and normal winter rainfall. The growing season was generally dry and sunny, with a particularly hot, dry July. Long-established agronomic measures limited heat stress, while two significant rains in the first week of August refreshed the vines, reduced temperatures and supported the synthesis of aromas, anthocyanins and tannins.
The 2016 winter was mild and led to slightly early budbreak. A temperate, rainy spring culminated in a cool June. Summer was warm without extremes, and August rain maintained vine health. Sunny days, cool nights and low humidity during the final ten days of September delivered ripe, fragrant, healthy and balanced grapes.
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.
Winemaking
Sangiovese and Merlot are selected in the vineyard according to the differing elevations, exposures and soils of their parcels. Ripe al Convento and Lamaione are harvested by hand after careful selection. Lamaione fruit is placed in crates, while Ripe al Convento receives a second manual inspection in the cellar, extending to the selection of individual berries.
Historical vineyard specifications document low spur-pruned cordon training and a density of 5,500 vines/ha in the Sangiovese vineyards. Deep-rooted vines are associated with the deeper soils used for Campo ai Sassi. At Ripe al Convento, deep roots and the water retained in schist, clay and galestro helped sustain the vines through the hot, dry 2012 growing season.
Seasonal work includes canopy management and plant-health protection during rainy periods. During the hot, dry July of 2015, established agronomic measures reduced the vines’ exposure to excessive heat stress. Harvest timing responds to physiological and phenolic maturity as well as fruit health; marked day-to-night temperature differences and dry conditions near harvest are valued for maintaining aromatic freshness and balanced ripening.
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.
Philosophy
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.