A founding member of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico, Verrazzano has made wine since the earliest times. The property occupies the site of former Etruscan and Roman settlements and was home to the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who was the first to discover America’s east coast, landing at the bay of New York in the early 16th century.
The Verrazzano castle and surrounding gardens dates back to the 12th century (1150). The estate’s vines have been cultivated since 1170 and the historic cellars have remained in continuous production. Since acquiring the estate, the Cappellini family has replanted Verrazzano’s vineyards, which fan out from the forest limits down to the valley below. The estate is organic certified.
Located on a hilltop in the Greve, Verrazzano’s 220 acre estate includes 52 hectares of vineyards at altitudes between 280 and 400 meters above sea level, higher than average Chianti Classico vineyards. Though present in southern parts of the Classico area, limestone is unique to Verrazzano which is in the cooler, northern part of the zone. This singular combination of limestone soil and cooler growing conditions accounts for the wines’ muscularity and finesse.
