If you've been around the shop you know we love Montenidoli. These wines have been staples of our shelves from the first days of the pop-up, and they've overflowed to St. Pizza's wine list since. It's because they are capital-G Great and range from low-key refined (a 17th-century Chianti recipe) to high-roller collectable (see the 100% sangiovese stunner Triassico).

This year, vigneron Elisabetta Fagiuoli will have produced 55 vintages at her mountain-top estate in San Gimignano, Tuscany, where she honors the ancient, triassic soils by never having used a pesticide, promoting biodiversity (vegetable gardens, rabbits, forests, olives—we have her olive oil in the shop!), and harvesting with minimal intervention. Montenidoli means "mountain of bird's nests," and it soars above the clouds in a way that conjures mythical creatures and medieval castles.

Here, we encounter the spiritual home of vernaccia and a deep dedication to the Tuscan jewel of sangiovese as imagined by a woman who, well into her 80s, continues to care for the vines as if for precious jewels, ushering them unto us, the lucky recipients of such transparent terroir.

A short anecdote before you head to Tuscany: I once sent two of our regulars to Montenidoli while they ate and drank their way through the region. They showed up to her home, knocked on the door, and what was meant to be a short visit, ended up being a day-long adventure through her vineyard and library of wines; the two left red-toothed, and reeling from her deeply felt hospitality. Which is to say, if should you find yourself at the foot of her misty mountain abode, it's worth knocking on the door. —Leslie Pariseau

SOLO MONTENIDOLI "FIORE" VERNACCIA di SAN GIMIGNANO, TUSCANY, ITALY 2023

Tuscany’s illustrious reputation as Italy’s most renowned and, arguably, oldest winemaking region was not won by mere chance. There’s money here. In the 15th century, the Medicis built 12 villas in the region, now recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano fetch mind boggling sums and are prized by collectors around the globe for their aging potential, power, and finesse. In 2024, a 27 liter of Bibi Graetze Toscana Colore 2016 sold at auction for $110, 968.  A casual $4k per liter.  

However, the oldest Tuscan DOC was awarded in 1966 to Vernaccia di San Gimignano and promoted to DOCG in 1993. Arguably Italy’s finest white wine, vernaccia can be found in the Marche and Sardinia, but it reaches its full potential in the calcareous hillside soils of San Gimignano.  

Montenidoli's Fiore (“flower") comes from free-run juice and is the most sincere expression of vernaccia from the estate. Free-run or noble juice is the high quality juice that flows naturally from grapes crushed under their own weight and gravity. It is prized for its delicate aromas, nuanced flavors, and lower tannins. This cherished must is aged in stainless steel vats on its lees (spent yeasts) for an extended period of time. In the glass, aromas of white gardenia mingle with peach pits.  Soft tannins on the palate thanks to extended time in steel with flushes of chamomile and citrus give way to a pleasingly crisp finish of green almond.  Pair with grilled veggies and shellfish, a sunset, and a backyard fire on a fall evening. —Drew Clowney

SOLO MONTENIDOLI "CHIANTI COLLI SENESI il GARRULO" TUSCANY, ITALY 2021

What do you think when you hear the word Chianti? Checkered table cloths?  Wicker baskets? Strictly Sangiovese?

The first mentions of Chianti were documents as early as 1398. Enjoyed by popes and exported to England as early as the 17th century, Chianti became an agricultural lifeline for Tuscany and a gold standard for quality red. In 1716, Chianti Classico was deemed the official region of the world's go-to Chianti supply, the first official link between wine and territory. The region spreads its ancient bounty between Florence and Siena. Here you will find what we have come to expect of the cateogry. Robust, hearty blends of mostly Sangiovese with a little room for the noble Canaiolo and Colorino, or the occasional guest appearance from Cabernet or Merlot. Built to age, they seem to represent the full might of Tuscany in a bottle. 

In 1872  Bettino Ricasoli, a baron and wine enthusiast, turned his passion for Chianti to researching the perfect blend. After much thought and, one would assume, many glasses, he concluded that with Sangiovese at its heart, the wine could take two paths: Blending only other red grapes and aging for a stint in the cellar; or adding white grapes to bring levity to the mixture, making it suitable for every day drinking. 

The love for Chianti grew, but Chianti Classico could only produce so much wine. And so six subzones were created in the 1930s, intended to take the burden off of the massive demand from Chianti Classico. The rules were to be loosened a bit so that production could be ample and the wine, simply labeled as “Chianti” could flood the mass market, especially overseas. This also allowed established growers in Classico to commit to making wines to age, and gave subzone growers the freedom to return to making wine for the people. 

Monteidoli claimed their vines in the mountains of the subzone Colli Senesi and embraced a fresh, ready-to-drink approach, a traditional table wine. The Baron's blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo co-fermented with Trebbiano and Malvasia is vinified and aged in glass-lined concrete vats then cellared in bottle. It's savory and soft, with deep kisses from olive trees and rich red soil. The bright middle owes its flittering light to that historic co-ferment of white and red grapes. The long finish is unmistakably Tuscany's crown jewel. —Beth Altenbernd 

SONO MONTENIDOLI "TRADIZIONALE" VERNACCIA di SAN GIMIGNANO, TUSCANY, ITALY 2023

In 2019, I had the pleasure of meeting Elisabetta briefly at a wine tasting in New York. Do I remember what we tried? No. Did I take notes? They're around here somewhere... However, I won’t forget her mischievous smile when talking about her love of her estate and winemaking in general. The wines are always stunning, but the lady herself has forever amplified them in my mind.

Vernaccia is a funny one! A white grape existing in a red grape world.  First documents mention it in the 1200s, but historians believe it originated in Liguria (that cliffy, seaside stretch of land on the Mediterranean between Piedmont and Provence).  It was the wines of kings, of popes! Michelangelo described it as ‘kisses, licks, bites, pinches and stings.’ My goodness. The venerable Saint Catherine of Siena described this wine as healthier than water. Saluti.

Vernaccia got a bad rap for not being super-aromatic and rather light, so winemakers began letting it sit on the skins as one might a a red wine. I can imagine that for Elisabetta who was originally drawn to making Sangiovese, this style appealed to her treatment of Vernaccia. Her first foray into white was was not until the 1980s and has yielded a lovely color (hay-colored rather than the orange we have come to expect from skin contact) and texture. It can stand up to aging or a decant. 

The Tradizionale is the epitome of flexible. Give me a strong fish moment, those difficult vegetables (artichoke, asparagus), roasted pork, and stews!  I find this vintage to be fuller than last year, with apricot pits, citrus, and an alluring savory, herbal quality as well.  I recently read that San Gimignano is also known for its saffron production (introduced to the region after the First Crusades) and I think this has influenced how I think of it, warm, earthy, and familiar…or maybe it’s the brief memory of Elisabetta. —Allison Whittinghill

SONO MONTENIDOLI "COLORINO" TOSCANA ROSSO, TUSCANY, ITALY 2022

Colorino is an obscure gem in the pantheon of Italian varietals—thick skinned, deeply purple, both on the outside and inside (most red grapes have green or white fleshy insides). When vinified, it yields an inky dark wine with strong tannins. Grown mostly in Tuscany, its history is deeply woven into the story of Chianti. In the 14th century, it was used in a fermentation process called governo, in which grapes were partially dried and added to a grape must to boost fermentation with extra sugar and yeast and also to stabilize it. Later, the grape became key in Chianti Classico to add color and structure to the blend.

Fast forward to the present moment when Elisabetta Fagiuoli, who, out of curiosity, planted a few rows of Colorino on sandy, marine sediment studded soil (a vitamin boost and tannin softener) produces a lush, blackberry bramble wine worthy of its own spotlight. Inky though not heavy, with a touch of licorice and garden herbs, it's perfect for cured meats and cheese. Elisabetta describes this wine as the deep heart of the Tuscan soul, which, at its end, is tenderness. —Cassandra Vachon

SONO MONTENIDOLI "CARATO" VERNACCIA di SAN GIMIGNANO, TUSCANY, ITALY 2020

If you've made it to this point, you've likely lined up three manifestations of vernaccia before you. Well done. Where the Fiore is light, ethereal, a dewy flower bud opening to the morning sun, and the Tradizionale is a sun-drenched field of pineapple-sprayed herbs, the Colorino is a rich, textured, quilt, wrapped around crunchy autumn leaves.

It makes sense, of course. The Fiore is delicate, free-run juice rested in steel. The Tradizionale is skin-fermented, rested in cement. And the Carato (the word for the measure of precious stones) is aged in wood, given a treatment that nods to Burgundian texture and weight.

When I first opened this wine, I was having a tinned fish moment, smoked trout and pickled mussels. But I stopped myself and the friends for whom I'd poured the first taste. Wait, I said, knowing it was meant for the dinner ahead. And thank goodness we did. I'd prepared a shallot and mustard tart, a bowl of crisp lettuces, my husband had smashed potatoes, and seared steaks. It's a wine that's got the washed silk vibe of great white Burgundy, but with a spicy edge, Tuscan sunshine sown into its skin.

Send up a flare if you want an extra for your library, I'm grabbing another for myself and the first cold night of the year. —LP