Montenidoli is literally and figuratively a mountain above the appellation of San Gimignano. It is a large estate of roughly 200 hectares, though just 24 hectares under vine, on a mountainside overlooking the picturesque town of San Gimignano. Elisabetta Fagiuoli is a pivotal figure when talking about the last 50 years of Tuscan winemaking. In fact, 2020 marked her 50th vintage produced! Many people think of Vernaccia di San Gimignano as a simple white wine meant to be consumed fresh and young, though the whites of Montenidoli prove that does not have to be the case. While the wines show well on release, they greatly improve both with extended aeration in the glass or decanter as well as with bottle age.

The vineyards at Montenidoli are relatively high, between 400 and 700 meters, with soils and microclimate that are actually suited to both white and red grapes. The vineyards for her Sangiovese are planted at the highest elevations, with iron-rich soils and a base of limestone. Interestingly, in many of the vineyards, there are marine fossils strewn throughout, much like you find in Chablis, as well as huge blocks of white limestone that have been excavated from the vineyards.

Elisabetta Fagiuoli is proud of the fact that her land has never seen the use of pesticides. She has farmed organically as long as she has had the property and can attest that previous to her it had been farmed organically. The soil at Montenidoli was impacted greatly by the Ligurian Sea which extended into much of what is now Tuscany millions of years ago. On the higher elevation parcels of their property, you find a deep, red, mineral-rich soil where they source their top reds, the Triassico and the Sono Montenidoli.