Chianti Colli Senesi, Tenuta Le Calcinaie

Three kilometres from San Gimignano, in the glorious Tuscan landscape, is where Simone Santini runs this 12 ha estate. The property takes its name from the soil composition, with layers of limestone being found about half a metre underground, marine deposits from the Pliocene era. Simone founded the estate in 1986 by planting his first hectare of Vernaccia on the parts of the land where he found sandier topsoils with numerous fossils to give whites of greater tension and freshness. He began planting his Sangiovese and other reds at higher altitude in 1989, soils where there was more clay to look for greater power and colour. Farming is organic and winemaking is increasingly more hands off with ‘UVA’ being made without any added sulphites.