Why it matters
The producer
Rocca delle Macìe began as a film producer's retirement project and became one of the larger serious Chianti Classico estates in southern Tuscany. Italo Zingarelli, who made his name directing spaghetti Westerns in the early 1970s, bought an abandoned medieval hamlet called Le Macìe near Castellina in Chianti in 1973 and converted it into a working wine estate. He purchased a second property, Tenuta Sant'Alfonso, in the same year.
The estate now covers 500 hectares of Tuscan land, more than 200 of them planted to vines, spread across six properties. Sergio Zingarelli, Italo's youngest son, leads the business. His son Andrea works in the cellar and vineyards, and his daughter Giulia runs hospitality. Three generations are active on the estate simultaneously.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Castellina in Chianti is one of the four original Chianti Classico communes, sitting near the southern boundary of the zone in the hills between Florence and Siena. Chianti Classico DOCG is a protected designation covering this central Tuscan territory: the appellation law requires Sangiovese to make up at least 80 percent of any wine that carries the black cockerel label, and wines labelled Riserva must spend at least 24 months in wood and bottle before release.
The altitude at Castellina, typically between 300 and 600 metres above sea level, slows ripening and preserves acidity in Sangiovese. Cooler nights during late summer keep freshness in the fruit and contribute to the relatively firm acid line that characterises well-made Chianti Classico from this part of the zone. Le Macìe sits near the southern edge of these hills, where the terrain opens slightly toward the coastal influence and the growing season runs a few days warmer than in the more northerly communes.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Rocca delle Macìe farms with organic fertilizers, takes active measures against soil erosion, and has introduced bees across the estates to support biodiversity. The estate holds Italy's VIVA sustainability certification for viticulture, an accreditation that covers air, water, vineyard, and territory criteria.
In the cellar, the entry Chianti Classico undergoes 12 to 14 days of skin maceration, which extracts enough tannin and colour for the style without over-drying the fruit. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation follow, then 6 to 10 months in Slavonian or French oak barrels before further bottle refinement. The relatively short wood contact keeps the oak from dominating and lets Sangiovese's cherry and dried herb character stay forward.
Wines to know
The range in view
Sangiovese runs through every tier. The Chianti Classico DOCG is 95 percent Sangiovese and 5 percent Merlot, vinified with short maceration and medium oak contact. It delivers red cherry, dried herb, and moderate acidity with soft, approachable tannin. It is designed for early drinking without being thin.
The Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG is still Sangiovese-led but carries more structured tannin and deeper fruit from extended wood ageing. Where the Classico is forward and immediate, the Riserva asks for a year or two of patience and rewards it with more layered, darker fruit and a longer finish.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
The Rocca delle Macìe Chianti Classico DOCG is the right first bottle. It is 95 percent Sangiovese grown on galestro and alberese soils above Castellina, blended with 5 percent Merlot, macerated for 12 to 14 days, and aged 6 to 10 months in Slavonian and French oak. It is an everyday Chianti Classico with honest fruit, a clean acid line, and enough tannin to sit comfortably with food. Red cherry comes first, followed by dried herb and a faintly dusty finish. No richness, no extraction, no oak dominance. It shows what the appellation does at a commercially serious scale and what Sergio's shift toward a composed style looks like in practice.