Why it matters
The producer
Luigi Cecchi did not start with land. In 1983 he rented two warehouses in Poggibonsi, a market town in southern Tuscany, and began buying wines he believed in and selling them on. His skill was in the tasting, not the growing. From that small trading operation, the family eventually moved to Castellina in Chianti in the 1970s, planted roots in the Chianti Classico zone, and built a four-estate company now run by the fourth generation, brothers Andrea and Cesare Cecchi.
Today, Famiglia Cecchi operates across two Italian regions. In Tuscany: Villa Cerna and Villa Rosa in Chianti Classico, and Val delle Rose in the Maremma coastal zone of Morellino di Scansano. In Umbria: a property in the Sagrantino di Montefalco zone. Sangiovese anchors everything in Tuscany. Sagrantino, the dense, long-aged red of central Umbria, provides the sharpest departure from the core range. Andrea Cecchi joined the company formally in January 1988 and serves as president.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Castellina in Chianti sits in the Chianti Classico zone, the DOCG appellation that runs between Florence and Siena in central Tuscany. Chianti Classico is Sangiovese country: the appellation rules require a minimum of 80 percent Sangiovese, and the best single-vineyard and Gran Selezione wines are usually pure or nearly pure varietal. Castellina occupies the western ridge of the zone, with elevations that slow ripening and preserve the acidity associated with Chianti Classico.
The Val delle Rose estate sits in Morellino di Scansano, a DOCG in the Maremma on the Tuscan coast. Morellino is the local name for Sangiovese in that territory. The climate is warmer and the soils are different from Chianti Classico, producing rounder, more immediate wines from the same grape. The Umbrian property in Montefalco brings a third appellation into the range: Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, built around the Sagrantino grape and known for some of the highest natural tannin levels in Italian wine.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Cecchi farms 230 certified-organic hectares across its estates. Organic viticulture in a multi-estate operation of this scale means no synthetic herbicides or pesticides across all four properties, and vineyard management that relies on cover crops, targeted copper and sulphur treatments, and soil work to maintain vine health. Three estates have also converted their cellars to organic certification, meaning the organic chain covers both growing and winemaking.
The company runs active water-recycling wetland systems at three estates: Cecchi, Villa Cerna, and Val delle Rose. In the early 1990s, Cecchi built what it describes as the first plant-based wastewater treatment facility constructed by a Tuscan wine business. That plant was renewed in 2012 at Val delle Rose and went on to win the Eco-Efficient Tuscany prize from the Tuscan Region. Vineyard research continues across the estates, with ongoing trials in new clones, training systems, and farming operations.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Chianti Classico range is built around three bottles named for the family. Storia di Famiglia is the entry-level Chianti Classico DOCG. It is built for drinking relatively young. Riserva di Famiglia is the Chianti Classico Riserva, requiring a minimum of two years ageing under DOCG rules, including at least three months in bottle. The Riserva carries more concentration and depth than the Storia tier, with the kind of tannin and acidity that adds years of cellaring potential. Valore di Famiglia is the Gran Selezione, the top DOCG classification in Chianti Classico, produced in small quantities from selected fruit and aged longer in cellar before release. The 2022 vintage totalled 6,024 bottles.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Storia di Famiglia Chianti Classico is the right first bottle. It is an entry-level Chianti Classico DOCG built almost entirely from Sangiovese, made in Castellina, and named directly for the family. The 2024 vintage opens with fresh cherry and red plum, violet pushing through on the nose, then delivers a juicy, lively palate with a briny finish and sweet tannins that do not demand years of patience. Drink it with food: pasta, grilled meats, aged Pecorino. It is an honest Sangiovese from the zone that produced the family's reputation, and it costs what an entry-level Chianti Classico should.