THE TERROIR
OF PERFECTION
A BLESSED LAND
Poggio di Sotto rises on the southern hills of Montalcino, in Castelnuovo dell’Abate.
The estate-owned plots rise from 190 up to 440 meters on steep ridges at the foot of Mount Amiata. Standing at 1,738 meters, Mount Amiata acts as a shield against the unstable weather coming from the sea. The extinct volcano ensures cool night winds that descend from its peaks and warm daytime updrafts, creating ideal temperatures that serve to enhance and enrich the grape’s aromas.
A KALEIDOSCOPE OF GEOLOGICAL EXPRESSIONS
The complex soils of Poggio di Sotto reveal a geological treasure that intensifies the depth of the Sangiovese grapes cultivated here.
The vines are planted on clayey soils rich in rocky fragments: this is Galestro, a clayey schist that is typical of the central Tuscan hills. However, soil variety broadens as altitudes increase. Near the winery, there are areas endowed with more organic matter, reddish soils dotted with pebbles, rich in microelements. At the top of the hills, compact clays with mineral conglomerates predominate. While the lower plots, located at around 200 meters, are characterized by rocky soils composed of Galestro and gray marl.
THE AMPELOGRAPHIC MEMORY OF SANGIOVESE
Poggio di Sotto stretches for 48 hectares, of which only 20 are dedicated to vineyards.
A unanimous choice has been made among the rows. No international varieties, no white grapes: only Sangiovese from old vines, some of which can be over 50 years old. A comprehensive choice that honors Castelnuovo dell’Abate’s dedication to Italy's oldest red grape variety. One that allows Poggio di Sotto to focus all attention on selecting the best bunches and achieve the absolute excellence of Brunello di Montalcino.
A single grape variety: Sangiovese. But 182 biotypes have been recorded to be growing freely among the rows and only found in this area.
These are vines of ancient origin, rows where plants were once propagated without following genetic standardization.
Today, this extraordinary ecological nook represents the most distinct trait of Poggio di Sotto: a botanical archive containing the centuries-old adaptation of Sangiovese, holding its own sense of wonder.
THE ART OF LISTENING