| 97 Points: “The Vernaccia grape has been documented in San Gimignano since 1276, while the Montenidoli estate appeared in a 1404 will. Elisabetta Fagiuoli and her
late husband, Sergio Muratori planted the then abandoned Montenidoli with vines from 1965. Red grapes are grown on Triassic clays (very rare in Tuscany), the Vernaccia on younger, well drained calcareous ground. The Vernaccia is made like a red, a waning local tradition, with short skin contact before pressing and fermenting leaving deeply textured yellow fruit with staying power and an unmistakable tang. Drinking Window 2021 – 2035.” – Monty Waldin, Decanter (February 2021)
FROM THE WINERY
Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG - dry white wine
“We are back to the old way of Vernaccia, which was vinified like a red. In the past you had to wait to drink it after summer, and, if it was not yellow enough, you had to put some caramel with it in order to add colour. Today it is still a rich, exuberant and pleasant white wine.” – Elisabetta Fagiuoli
Production zone: San Gimignano
Soil composition: Calcareous with marine
sediments
Average production: 25000 bottles of 0,75 lt
Average vineyard altitude: 800-1100 feets asl / 250-350 mamsl
Planting density: 2200 per acre / 5500 per ha
Pruning system: Spurred cordon
Composition: 100% Vernaccia
Farming: Strictly organic Certified by ICEA
Vinification: Maceration with the skins Refining In glass lined concrete vats Aging In the bottle
Visual: Golden straw yellow
Bouquet: Herbal and almond perfumes
On the Palate: Rich and dry, with a long aftertaste
Wine-food pairings: Mediterranean cuisine based on olive oil, fried
and raw fish, sushi, oysters and shell fish. Iron, rich and tannic vegetables.
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS OF MONTENIDOLI
ELISABETTA FAGIUOLI is the living metaphor of her land, and she greets you, as the land welcomes you, with a smile that testifies to her joy in extending you hospitality. She shares with you her vision of the world, and impresses you with the same quiet strength that millennial culture of wine making possesses. And you accept her for the elegance of her eloquence and gestures. She knows how to be firm and tough, going against the stream and standing alone, but is
never unpleasant, never violent, with the same demeanor as the timeworn towers of San Gimignano across the valley from her property, towers grafted miraculously to the slopes of the hills harmoniously planted in vines and olives… On Poggio di San Gimignano
LUIGI VERONELLI: I Vignaioli Storici , 1989
Sergio: meek and gentle in his heart but strong and unbending like an oak. He was the sustainer and the guide of Montenidoli in difficult times. The great big oak of Montenidoli died with him, when he passed away. He was an expert psychologist and a true educator. Time stopped for everyone who came to him. He knew how to enter into people’s souls and help them: entering into a dialogue with them that never ended. He brought with him a wind of love, friendship, collaboration. He created the beautiful family of Montenidoli.
MONTENIDOLI AND THE FOUNDATION
1965 – Elisabetta arrived at Montenidoli to rescue an abandoned land and plant new vineyards.
1968 – Sergio, the Magister, came in the peace of the nature of Montenidoli to heal restless children and give new life to the many ones that came to him for help.
2014 – Montenidoli sets up Sergio the Patriarch Foundation, to continue the heritage of the great Teacher.
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