Why it matters
The producer
When Glynn Cohen, a Zimbabwe-born businessman and philanthropist, bought Villa Mangiacane in 2001, he was acquiring a ruin. The estate in Sant'Andrea in Percussina, 12 km south of Florence, had passed through seven centuries of use: built for the Machiavelli family in the 14th or 15th century, commandeered as a German military headquarters during the Second World War, converted to an Allied hospital after the German retreat, and then left to deteriorate across decades until Cohen walked into it. The frescoes were still there, under the neglect.
Cohen restored the villa and turned 43 of its 242 hectares to Sangiovese-based wine. The estate now holds three tiers inside the Chianti Classico DOCG hierarchy, from an appellation-level blend through a Riserva to a Gran Selezione, plus a single-variety Merlot Supertuscan outside the appellation. Farming across all 43 vineyard hectares is organic, with a triple selection of grapes at harvest.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Sant'Andrea in Percussina sits at the northern edge of the Chianti Classico zone, the legally defined appellation that runs between Florence and Siena in central Tuscany. The Chianti Classico DOCG is Sangiovese country: the rules require it as the dominant grape, and the three-tier hierarchy of DOCG, Riserva, and Gran Selezione governs how long a wine must age and how it may be selected.
At 12 km from Florence, the estate is closer to the city than to Siena, placing it at the cooler northern end of the zone. The consequence in the glass is that Sangiovese here tends toward firm acidity and dark cherry rather than the riper, rounder profile of the warmer southern reaches around Castelnuovo Berardenga.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All vineyard work is organic. At harvest, grapes go through a triple selection process before they reach the cellar, removing substandard fruit before fermentation begins. The effect of multiple sorting passes is a higher proportion of intact, ripe grapes entering the tanks, which translates to cleaner fruit character and more even extraction.
For the Gran Selezione Z District, fermentation runs at a controlled temperature not exceeding 26 degrees Celsius, with maceration in stainless steel tanks for approximately 20 days. The extended skin contact builds colour and tannin from the Sangiovese before oak ageing takes over. The wine then spends 24 months in French oak barrels, half of them new, followed by 9 months in bottle before release. New oak at 50 percent does not dominate the cherry fruit.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range follows the three tiers of the Chianti Classico pyramid. The standard Chianti Classico DOCG blends 85 percent Sangiovese with 10 percent Canaiolo and 5 percent Colorino. Both Canaiolo and Colorino are indigenous Tuscan varieties: Canaiolo softens the tannin frame and adds a floral note, while Colorino contributes colour depth and a slightly bitter edge. The blend formula is one of the traditional Chianti Classico compositions.
The Chianti Classico Riserva moves to 100 percent Sangiovese, stripping out the blending partners to focus on the primary grape. Where the DOCG is blended for approachability, the Riserva concentrates on Sangiovese's harder, more angular character: darker cherry, firmer tannin, longer ageing potential.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
The Gran Selezione Z District is the bottle that shows the estate at full commitment. It is 95 percent Sangiovese from a single estate selection, fermented slowly at low temperature, macerated for 20 days, and aged for two years in French oak before nine months of bottle rest. In the glass it gives bitter cherry, concentrated fruit, firm tannin, and a long finish with balanced cedar from the oak. The Gran Selezione Z District is composed of 95 percent Sangiovese and 5 percent Merlot. Start here to understand what the Chianti Classico zone produces at its most serious on this estate.