Nittardi Chianti Classico Riserva 2018

Nittardi is a winery in the heart of the Chianti Classico, on the hills on the border between the provinces of Florence and Siena. The Tenuta di Nittardi was originally a defense tower known since the 16th century under the name "Nectar Dei". In the 16th century it was the property of the famous Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti who in 1549, while he was in Rome to paint the Sistine Chapel, begged his nephew Lionardo to send bottles of Nittardi wine to Rome to be offered to Pope Julius II as a "genuine gift" "Claiming himself to prefer" two barrels of wine rather than eight shirts ". And today, half a millennium after the property of Michelangelo, history has been repeated thanks to the current owners who have given to Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis the first bottles of wine from the vineyards of the Tuscan Maremma, a wine symbolically called "Nectar Dei" from the original name of the ancient tower of Nittardi. Since 1982 Nittardi is led by Peter Femfert and his wife, the historian Stefania Canali, of Venetian origins. Step by step, Stefania and Peter have given Nittardi a new life. The vineyards were gradually re-implanted, in 1992 the old tinaia was replaced by a modern winery and, over the years, a competent and competent team of technicians and consultants was consolidated: Carlo Ferrini, internationally renowned winemaker, Antonio Spurio, technical director and Giorgio Conte sales manager. Since 2013, Leon Femfert, Stefania and Peter's first child, has been working full-time in the family business. In 1999 the farm also extended to Maremma, near the coast of southern Tuscany, where 17 hectares of vineyards have been planted with native and international grapes. From this territory come two Mediterranean reds from Nittardi: Ad Astra and Nectar Dei. 2012 also saw the birth of the first Maremma white wine: BEN, a vermentino in purity. To pay homage to the famous owner of Nittardi, Michelangelo Buonarroti, the traditional combination of art and wine is still cultivated today in Nittardi. Every year an internationally renowned artist realizes, for Chianti Classico Casanuova by Nittardi Vigna Doghessa, two original paintings, one for the label and one for the silk paper with which the bottle is wrapped. Since 1981 there have been famous names of the international art scene, among which Hundertwasser, Corneille, A.R. Penck, Mitoraj, Yoko Ono, Guenter Grass, Dario Fo and Karl Otto Götz. Nittardi wines get several awards and prizes every year such as I Tre Bicchieri del Gambero Rosso, Cinque Bottiglie dei Vini D'Italia, Cinque Stelle del Decanter, 90+ (max 94) points from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate and James Suckling.