Castello Vicchiomaggio
(Tuscany/Italy)
Castello Vicchiomaggio dates back to about 1400. On the top of a hill, dominating the Greve Valley, it is just 18 and 38km from Siena and Florence respectively. In 1964 it was bought by Frederico Matta. The estate was in a very poor condition but a thorough replanting programme put it back among the elite of Chianti estates.
Frederico’s son, John Matta, has been running the estate with his wife Paola since 1982 and the quality of Vicchiomaggio wines has continued to improve. Vicchiomaggio is consistently classified amongst Italy’s top estates and John Matta has been named IWSC Italian Winemaker of the Year four times in the last 14 years. In 2002 John Matta was awarded The Tasca d’Almerita Trophy for “Best Italian Producer of the Year”. This was followed by the 2003 La Prima Chianti Classico Riserva winning the “Carpineto Trophy For the Best Sangiovese” in IWSC 2005. Matta prefers to make his wines with limited oak (small or large French barrels, never new, just enough to smooth the tannins).
All vineyards at the estate are strictly classified according to typology and exposure and each wine is labelled after the name of its original vineyard.
