The vineyard

Terre di San Giustino estate consists of a complex of gardens, olive groves, vineyards, and lovingly restored, centuries-old stone farmhouses, all surrounded by lush forests which form a natural barrier and protect this exceptional place against any external impurities. Currently Terre di San Giustino vineyard is striving towards fully organic grape and olive production. We expect to be organic certified by 2020.

Our Philosophy

Over the past eight years the San Giustino estate, covering nearly 120 hectares, has undergone a complete restoration whereby after decades of neglect both the farm and the residential buildings were reconstructed with the utmost care. As the stewards of an iconic historical property, it was critically important to us to bring all of the existing historic structures to their former glory and to ensure their integrity for many generations to come.

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The History of San Giustino

History has it that an inn, run by the Jesuits, was once located here in San Giustino and for many centuries offered travelers delicious local food and comfortable guest chambers. An actual quote taken from the local archives describes San Giustino (at 600 meters above sea level) as a place “where the mountain air elevated one’s appetite and breathtaking views invited weary travelers to a well-earned rest”.

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San Giustino is located on one of the most important ancient Roman roads which for many centuries before our times linked the Eternal City with many of the great cities in Italy and beyond. Even today, the modern local roads follow the same ancient pathways offering the traveler stunning vistas over broad expanses of Tuscany.

The prevailing mild climate, gentle southerly slopes, and typical of the Chianti region rocky soils called “galestro” and “alberese” are all ideal for the cultivation of wine. The former vineyards neglected by the previous owners were reconstructed beginning in 2009 and further land was added for the planting of additional varieties of grapes: Sangiovese, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Canaiolo, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.

Currently, the San Giustino estate consists of 6 ha of vineyards, 2,5 ha of olive groves and over 120 ha of lush Chianti forests. The low yield of grapes is a very deliberate decision intended to create a small amount of boutique wine of the highest quality.

Wine

On one hand, wine composition is a very precise and almost alchemical process, while on the other it requires both creativity and imagination. Each winery has its own 'recipes' and blending ratios, which are quite naturally a well-kept secret…

At Terre di San Giustino, we have chosen to create wines that are not strictly bound by any required rules. As with my first passion, interior design, the most important element in any creative process is freedom of thought, which leads to breaking boundaries and experimentation with new materials, ideas, and techniques. At the end of the day, all human advancement has been achieved by those who shared a similar philosophy.

Benedetto (our enologist and agronomist) and I believe that this is why we make such a wonderful team, where our process combines his wisdom and experience with my instincts and creativity. And I must confess that although the word 'passion' is overused these days, it is the only way to describe my approach. To me each bottle of wine is like my child, carefully tended since the moment of planting the first vine and now after many years of hard work, something in which I not only take pride but continually strive to improve.

Il Primo Figlio

Since this is our first wine we have a very special, almost sentimental relationship with it, hence the name Il Primo Figlio – The First Son. The blend`s base is a Merlot grape which establishes its round and fleshy character complementing Sangiovese's more savory and herbaceous qualities. It is an intense and well-balanced wine with strong hints of cherry, smoked plum and blackberries. Il Primo`s naturally soft textures and rich flavors work well with a diverse array of foods. It is also a wonderful companion to long winter evenings spent in front of the fireplace with your favorite book!

Technical notes
Per Amici

Per Amici (which translates to For Friends) is a typical Chianti blend under the Toscana IGT. The sharpness and the refreshing acidity of the Sangiovese plays the dominant role in the blend however it`s softened by the delicate touch of Merlot. The distinct aroma of wild berries and a strong hint of cherries give the wine a smooth finish. The character of the wine is best recognizable when served with mature cheeses and charcuterie, especially pâtés and spicy salamis. It also goes wonderfully with typical Tuscan bistecca fiorentina and other red meat dishes.

Technical notes
Monello

Our most recent composition is the Monello, which is produced as a hand-numbered series of about 700 bottles each year. The base of this new blend is the velvety Merlot grape which we let mature in Tronçais oak barrels for 6 months. It is then blended with a touch of Sangiovese in steel vats. Our Monello is a beautifully round and opulent in texture. It`s deep ruby color hides an aroma of forest berries, blueberries and truffles. The Monello goes perfectly with both mild and fresh cheeses, poultry dishes, lightly seasoned red meats, and the pasta dishes that are so typical of Italian cuisine!

Technical notes
PROSECCO SUPERIORE VALDOBBIADENE D.O.C.G.

The characteristic softness of the Glera grape is enriched by the sharp tones of Pinot Bianco. This particular composition gives our Prosecco Superiore a crisp yet elegant finish, yielding a spumante wine of extraordinary floral and fruity aroma with distinct hints of fresh mirabelle plums. Refreshing, light and very appealing wine perfect for an aperitif or social gatherings. It pairs nicely with all types of fish and seafood as well as canapés.

Technical notes
ALISEI

Alisei is a harmonious blend Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Trebbiano Toscano grapes. The fusion of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine an element of freshness and tropical notes, while minerality combined with a subtle hint of apricot, provides perfect contrast to the citrus flavours. In order to obtain a complete phenolic ripeness of Viognier we enriched the blend with 2% of Trebbiano Toscano, a grape with a neutral flavor, that goes well with wines of a distinct personality without overwhelming them. Its strongly accentuated acidity makes it suitable for natural chemical-free vinification perpetuating the philosophy of ecological management of our vineyards.

Technical notes
Our story

The Quest for a Perfect Tuscan Home

In the winter of 2006 my husband and I had a brilliant idea: in order to escape the harsh weather in Krakow, Poland, we decided to buy a small house with a garden in a warmer part of Europe. After lots discussion we decided on Italy, where the sun is plentiful, the food is delicious and the people are always happy and smiling.

Over the course of the following year and multiple visits to Tuscany, we drove more than 12,000 kilometers in the process of visiting over 100 houses! With each successive trip our love of Tuscany grew, our dream expanded, and the budget went up!

We became intent on finding a typical Tuscan borgo, that is a mini-village with one main big building surrounded by a few smaller houses. How else could we comfortably accommodate not only our extended family but also our friends from all over the world? This place, if we could find it, was to become the anchor of our lives, a home where we would raise our children and spend some of the very best moments of our lives.

Fabio – then our real estate agent and now our close friend – helped us make our dream come true when he brought us to San Giustino in February 2007. I saw the main gate, the cypress alley, and I knew right then and there that the search was over. I didn’t even look at the interiors of the buildings. I entered the courtyard and said “We're home.”

Our Wine

The wine we produce here at Terre di San Giustino is a reflection of my personality and our lifestyle. We make it for the people who matter most to us, our family and friends, hence the names of our first two wines – Il Primo Figlio (Firstborn Son) Per Amici (For Friends) and Monello (The Rascal). I can compare the efforts put into our production process to the work I've put into the restoration of the entire estate. It really describes well who we are, the way we work, and the values that guide us. Each part of the house at San Giustino has been carefully renovated; each stone, each beam and each roof tile is there on purpose. I spent hundreds of hours driving around the countryside in search of original stone and wooden elements, soft textures and materials, and the right hues. Every single detail was thought through and nothing was left to chance. I tried to use as many original architectural elements typical of Tuscan farm houses as possible. I also received an enormous amount of help and support in restoring and replacing original features from local artists such as Marco Valentini – our irreplaceable carpenter. This restoration project was guided by the same principles by which we make our wine: there are no compromises; everything has to be absolutely perfect.

Planting the Vineyard

At first we decided to plant a vineyard to produce a good quality wine for our friends and family, not knowing that a two-hectare vineyard can produce almost 15,000 bottles of wine a year! Although we're known for hosting great events, this most definitely exceeds the potential consumption by all our friends and family (and their friends and their friends' families!) combined. This is when I started working with a local agronomist to understand if we could make a marketable product. Together, we examined the chemical composition of the soil, the slope of the land, natural watering and drainage possibilities, and most importantly the number of hours of sunlight. Fortunately for us, the property is not only ideally situated for growing grapes, allowing for rows that could be planted north to south for increased exposure to the sun, but the slopes and terraces are even perfect with a gentle downward southern slope truly maximizing the growing potential of the land. Also, the soil turned out to be typical for the Chianti growing region, a mixture of clay and rock in local parlance called “galestro” and “alberese”. We learned that we didn't just have the capacity for producing a good wine, we have the potential for producing a remarkable wine! So the process began, and we planted most of our arable land with a local variety of Sangiovese to use as the base for our wines. Later on we decided to compliment our Sangiovese with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Canaiolo, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

People

I've learned very quickly that people are the most important ingredient when composing great wines. It gives us deep satisfaction that the team we work with treats Terre di San Giustino's vineyards as though they were their own. All our people are emotionally involved in every single aspect of growing the grapes and are very protective of them. We as the owners take immense pride in the fact that our ragazzi come from nearby towns and villages, and are here to share their knowledge, family secrets, and generations of winegrowing experience.

Agnieszka

Agnieszka

Benedetto

Benedetto

Basia

Basia

Ania

Ania

Petru

Petru

Rudy

Rudy

Andrea

Andrea

Agnieszka

Agnieszka

An interior designer with dozens of high profile private and corporate projects completed over the past 15 years. An adventure traveler with over 80 countries under her belt. Founder of the Liger Charitable Foundation, an innovative program supporting young entrepreneurs in Cambodia. A Licensed Italian farmer (IAP) and owner of the Terre di San Giustino vineyard. For the past several years Agnieszka has been sharing her time between her responsibilities as a President with TLCF, composing boutique wines in Tuscany and being a mother of Sophie and Alex. Privately she`s a keen reader of futuristic novels and off-beaten path scuba diving.

Where to buy?
Terre di San Giustino wines are available for direct purchase in our cantina in San Giustino (including worldwide shipping) as well as from our distributors in Poland and USA. Please see contact information below.

Please complete the form below and click send. We will be in touch shortly regarding wine prices and delivery options.
Il Primo Figlio
Per Amici
Monello
Prosecco
Alisei
We apologize but Monello 2014 vintage is already unavailable.
Please check with us about availability of 2015 vintage.
POLAND
Import & Distribution


Winnacja Paweł Woźniak
ul. Lipowa 6e
Kraków, Poland
phone +48 793 108 393 or
+ 48 601 886 209
opening hours
Monday – Friday 10:00 – 19:00
Saturday 10:00 – 17:00
POLAND
Import & Distribution


Słoneczny Kredens
ul. Karmelicka 27
31-131 Kraków, Poland
phone +48 726 787 011
Contact person: Rafał Dyduch
USA
Import


Prestige Worldwide Wine Importers LLC
Attn. Martin Timmins
467 Locust Point Rd
Rumson, NJ 07760
phone +1 732 977 9156
USA
Distribution


Seaman's Beverage and Logistics
Belleville Business Center
41 Montgomery Street
Belleville, NJ 07109
phone +1 973 424 0600
Media / press

Contact

info@terredisangiustino.com

Office: +39 0575 847094

Correspondence address:


Terre di San Giustino
Loc. San Giustino 70
52048 Monte San Savino, AR
Italia