Biography
The Castello di Brolio is one of the symbol of Tuscany, virtually a sacred spot in Chianti Classico. Here, many years ago, Bettino Ricasoli, the “Iron Baron”, created and perfected the classic formula for Chianti Classico which laid the ground for one of the great and long-lasting international successes in the world of wine. The castle itself, situated in one of the loveliest, and wildest, spots in Tuscany, is surrounded by vineyards and woods. Over the course of centuries, it has had an eventful history. Some years ago, it was sold to an international corporation but, moved by pride in his family and its history, Francesco Ricasoli, the thirty second Baron of Brolio, decided to repurchase it for his family and restore it to the splendour of former times. With a grandiose effort of renewal of the vineyards, tens and tens of acres were replanted with rational, high density and low-yielding training systems. At the same time the cellars were modernized and amplified to hold the equipment, the casks, and the barrels where the wines of Brolio are given a lengthy period of aging. Ricasoli is one of those enlightened producers in Chianti Classico who continues to sustain the idea of château wine, i.e. by production strongly characterized by a property with a precise terroir, a concept modelled after Bordeaux but with a Tuscan accent and approach. For this reason, in addition to the Brolio Chianti Classico, the regular bottling, the wine which best embodies the personality of the estate and its territory is the Castello di Brolio, a wine which surprises with its ample aromas and flavors, but above all with its softness and elegance. The Riserva Rocca Guicciarda, a Chianti Classico, is a wine of great character, impressive in its concentration and richness of flavor. And Casalferro certainly deserves a special mention: a very successful blend of the native Sangiovese and international grape varieties, a wine which marries local and international flavors, a “glocal” wine, in short.