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Fontodi
Fontodi sits in the Conca d'Oro, the bowl of vineyards below Panzano in Chianti. The Manetti family bought the estate in 1968. They have made terracotta nearby for more than three centuries. The whole farm, about 180 football pitches of land, has been organic since the 1998 vintage. Nearly 100 pitches are under vine, and every wine comes from the estate's own hand-picked grapes. High sites, stony ground and cold nights set the house style: Sangiovese with both depth and lift.
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Tuscany
- 6 wines
- Tastings
- Tours
- Accommodation
- Booking required
6 wines 
Tastings
Tours
Accommodation
Booking required Wines from Fontodi
About Fontodi
Wine is the Manetti family's second craft. They have fired Florentine terracotta at Ferrone for over three hundred years, and their tiles roof the dome of Florence's Duomo. The family bought Fontodi in 1968. Giovanni Manetti has led the estate since 1980. He is also president of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, confirmed in 2024 for a third term in the body's hundredth year.
The estate holds the heart of the Conca d'Oro, the golden shell, a south-facing bowl of vines below Panzano. The site suits Sangiovese in a rare way. The vineyards sit high, on stony galestro and alberese ground, under intense light. The climate is warm and dry, and nights turn sharply cold, which keeps fresh acidity in fully ripe grapes.
The whole property is certified organic, and has been since the 1998 vintage. Fontodi runs as a closed farm. Nothing synthetic is sprayed. Every bunch is picked by hand from estate vineyards. The farm aims to meet its needs from its own resources rather than buying supplies in.
The cellar steps down the slope, so grapes, juice and wine move by gravity, not by pump. Ferments run on the estate's own wild yeasts, and the young reds stay on the grape skins for at least three weeks. Ageing happens in French oak barrels and big casks. Terracotta returns here too. Jars made at the family works stand between the casks. They ferment part of the white Meriggio, alongside steel and larger oak barrels, and a small share of the reds.
Flaccianello della Pieve is the flagship: Sangiovese alone, from the best parcels, aged 24 months in French oak. It is released as Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT rather than under the Chianti Classico name, about 60,000 bottles a year. Beside it stand two Gran Selezione wines: Vigna del Sorbo, from 55-year-old vines facing south-west, and Terrazze San Leolino, just 5,000 bottles.
Filetta di Lamole comes from about 11 football pitches of terraces at 600 metres in Lamole, and it ferments in concrete. The estate Chianti Classico runs to around 170,000 bottles. The Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is half Sangiovese, half Malvasia. Its grapes dry for five months, then the wine ages nine years in small chestnut and oak barrels. The result is about 1,300 half-bottles.
Plate I · TUSCANY
Fontodi on the Tuscany wine atlas
Wine area
Chianti Classico
The galestro and alberese hills between Florence and Siena, where Sangiovese became Italy's most quoted red.
Denominations Produced
Grapes Used
Winery
Fontodi
Panzano in Chianti, Firenze · Chianti Classico
Denominations Produced
Grapes Used
Visiting Fontodi
Editorially verified by ItalianWines.co.uk.
Tastings
Available
Tours
Available
Accommodation
Available
Booking
Required
Bookable online
Not confirmed
Experiences at Fontodi
Nothing here can be booked online yet. The experiences below are documented by our editors. The estate's contact details are in Practical info.
Hosted by the estate
Tasting room and estate sales
Cellar-door tasting and sales run Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. The estate closes at weekends and on public holidays.
Guided estate and cellar tour
Guided tours of the gravity-flow cellar run on weekdays by appointment only, arranged through the reservation form on the official site or by email at [email protected].
Tenute di Pecille farm stay
Nine independent apartments across Villa Pecille, an eighteenth-century villa above the Conca d'Oro, and La Rota, a farmhouse set inside the organic vineyards. Availability and rates by enquiry through tenutedipecille.com.
Not seeing what you want?
Estates without an online listing are reachable directly. Phone and email are in Practical info.
Tasting room and estate sales
Cellar-door tasting and sales run Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. The estate closes at weekends and on public holidays.
Plan your visit
Via S. Leolino, 89, 50020 Panzano in Chianti, Firenze (Toscana)
What Fontodi makes
Fontodi's current bottle selection is led by Chianti Classico DOCG. The clearest grape signal comes from Sangiovese and Syrah.
Denominations
Key grapes
Common questions
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Yes, on weekdays. The tasting room and estate sales are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Guided wine tours run Monday to Friday by appointment only. The estate closes on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Book through the reservation form on fontodi.com or by emailing [email protected].
Get in touch
Have a question or need help with a booking?
Tell us what you need and we'll help you reach Fontodi and arrange a visit or tour. We reply within two working days.
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