Located just outside the village of Castellina in Chianti, in the picturesque rolling hills of Tuscany, is Rocca della Macie. A lifelong ambition of filmmaker, Italo Zingarelli, it was founded in 1973 and is now guided by son Sergio Zingarelli and his family. When it first came into Italo?s possession, only 2 of the 93 hectares were under vine. Today the estate extends out over 500 hectares, 200 of which are now under vine with charming olive groves making up a further 22. The remainder is synonymous with the Tuscan landscape, green and lush, crisscrossed with ancient roads dating back to time immemorial. Despite its comparative youth, Rocca delle Macie has quickly built a reputation for being one of Chianti Classico?s top estates, specializing in Sangiovese, a grape that is at home in Chianti Classico country and is an expression of the region's unique terroir. Sergio has been a strong advocate for Chianti?s new premium wine, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. To achieve the title of ?Gran Selezione? 80% of the wines must be Sangiovese, all from your own estate and aged for 30 months. This has been a milestone for Rocca della Macie and the region as a whole, elevating the standing of the Chianti Classico region and the Sangiovese grape, both in taste and reputation.

The beauty of Tuscany and the passion of the Zingarelli family really is a recipe for some truly lovely wines. Indeed, the highest praise you can give is that their wines are as beautiful as the land that made them. They provide a true sense of place and their Tenuta Sant? Alfonso is everything to look for in an Italian red, richly fruited, rustic and honest. It is easy to envision the lush landscape and rolling single vineyard from which it is grown.

Rocca delle Macie really is a dream turned reality for the Zingarelli family.

This wine was born along with the winery, and has grown with it over the years, becoming the ambassador that represents it around the world. As such, it deserves more space than can be allocated to it in this brief description. The history of Rocca delle Mac?e is, in actual fact, doubly intertwined with this Chianti Classico, which has evolved over the years both through the changes imposed upon it by updates to the regulations and through the enhancements made in the vineyards thanks to replanting operations, soil analysis and the clonal selection of Sangiovese. Today, we have arrived at a lively, ruby-red wine that expresses character, freshness and terroir, and is laden with aromas of cherry and violet.