Il Poggione

Poggione is, historically, one of the first agricultural companies, ever, to have believed in the enormous potential of the Sangiovese Grosso grape, the main and unique vine for the production of Brunello di Montalcino. In fact, the story tells of the chance meeting of the Scandicci landowner, Lavinio Franceschi, with a shepherd, who extensively praises the beauties of his homeland, Montalcino; this description is so suggestive that it induced Lavinio to decide to visit those places, despite the danger of undertaking a similar journey: we are in fact at the end of the nineteenth century and Tuscany is infested with bandits. The visit proved to be so interesting that he, fascinated by such a majestic scenery, purchased a good number of pieces of land. And so, at the end of the 19th century, the Franceschi family entered their name in the roll of honor of the Estate, together with the Tolomei and the counts of Ciaia. Without a doubt, Lavinio Franceschi's greatest merit remains his intuition of the wine-growing potential of the area and of the Sangiovese that has always been cultivated there. The obsolete working methods in the vineyard and cellar were immediately revolutionized, introducing modern and entrepreneurial methods. New clones of Sangiovese most suitable for quality production are selected, new vineyards are replanted, choosing the most suitable areas and soils, a modern cellar is created, for the time of course, without ever losing sight of the tradition of the territory. The heirs, Leopoldo and Livia, after more than a century, today continue Lavinio's work by developing the company with the same passion, combining the ancient and wise winemaking tradition with the most innovative techniques. Tenuta Il Poggione is today one of the largest wineries in Montalcino with approximately 600 hectares, of which 125 are vineyards, as well as olive groves, arable land and woods. Environmental sustainability, safeguarding typicality and constant improvement of quality are the main cornerstones of the company philosophy. The new cellar, built in 2004, is at the center of the vineyards and this allows total control of all production procedures. Il Poggione wines are the maximum expression of tradition and, at the same time, of the modernity of Ilcinese viticulture.