Gabbiano - Cavaliere d'Oro Chianti

The Castello di Gabbiano started as a square tower built to defend the route between Florence and Sienna. There is evidence of wine making dating to 1124, when the castle was owned by the Bardi family. The Soderini family took possession of the building in the early part of the 15th century, and many of the current architectural features of the castle date from this time. The Soderini were declared rebels by the Medici and banned from Florence in the 16th century, resulting in the castle being abandoned until the Soderini were able to return to the property in 1602.

Castello di Gabbiano farm 150 hectares, of which 109 are in the Chianti Classico DOCG, 1 hectare for Vin Santo, and 35 hectares for IGT wines. The estate farms according to sustainable principles and uses single spur guyot training, which results in lower fruit yields of higher quality. The estate is planted predominantly with Sangiovese, but they also grow Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Colorino, and Malvasia.

Their winemaking is a combination of old methods augmented with new technology: Castello di Gabbiano has installed one of the first computer-controlled mechanized punching down system under the direction of Federico Cerelli, one of the brightest and most promising winemakers in Italy.