From June 16 to July 3, 2025, Annette and I spent time in wine country Italy, by car.
For an overview of the whole trip, go here: Wine Country Italy - Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige - in the Summer of 2025
Fourth Stop: Montalcino and Montepulciano (Tuscany)
From Chianti Classico we drove to Montalcino and stayed 2 nights at La Ragnaie, a well-known Montalcino winery which also has 12 rooms.
One day we focused on Brunello di Montalcino producers and one day on Vino Nobile de Montepulciano producers.
On both nights we had dinner in the village of Montalcino.
Poliziano
This was the last winery we visited in Montepulciano (and Tuscany). They have a very chic tasting room.
Poliziano (GoogleAI based)
Poliziano Winery, located in Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy, is a renowned producer of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Location and History: The winery is situated on the slopes below Montepulciano, near the village of Gracciano. It was founded in 1961 by Dino Carletti, with his son Federico taking over in 1980. The winery's name is a tribute to the renowned poet Angelo Ambrogini, known as Il Poliziano, who came from Montepulciano.
Vineyards and Farming: The Poliziano estate encompasses over 500 acres, including prominent sections like Valiano, Lama, Casale, Pozzi, Caggiole, and Asinone. The vineyards are organically farmed and certified organic since 2021. They primarily cultivate Sangiovese grapes, specifically the Prugnolo Gentile clone, along with smaller amounts of Canaiolo Nero and Colorino, and some Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Winemaking Philosophy: Federico Carletti, an agronomist, emphasizes the importance of the vineyard in producing high-quality wines. He focuses on meticulous vineyard management, including clone selection, planting layouts, pruning methods, and training systems. In the cellar, they use an optical sorter for small-batch vinifications, though human sorting is preferred for top cuvées. Poliziano has also collaborated with winemakers Carlo Ferrini and Maurizio Castelli, known for their work with Sangiovese, to enhance their winemaking techniques.
Notable Wines: Poliziano is best known for its Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a wine revered throughout history. Their flagship wine is the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone, produced from the Asinone vineyard. Other notable wines in their portfolio include Rosso di Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano "Le Caggiole", “In Violas” Merlot Cortona, and “Le Stanze del Poliziano” Toscana IGT.
Poliziano (web site)
The Beginning
Poliziano began in 1961 when Dino Carletti, moved by a romantic vision for his native land and its centuries of wine tradition, acquired the first parcel of 22 hectares around the area of Montepulciano. The name of the winery is a tribute to this indeed. In Italian, in fact, a native of Montepulciano is called a ‘Poliziano’, of which probably the most well-known in history is the humanist and poet Angelo Ambrogini (1454-1494), nicknamed “Poliziano”, represented in the logo.
Professionalism
Federico Carletti, son of Dino, after completing his studies in agriculture, took over the management of Poliziano in the late 70s. He immediately made his mark and reached a philosophical turning point by studying and working exclusively with proprietary grapes (“Estate Winery”). The estate since his arrival has grown over the years until reaching 170 hectares of vineyards. Focused on quality viticulture, innovative yet respectful of the environment and tradition, it was soon possible for Federico to achieve a Vino Nobile of great body and great quality.
Quality
Federico in pursuing quality and excellence in his wines has continually improved techniques both in the vineyards and in the cellar. The local variety par excellence, Sangiovese, which in the territory of Montepulciano is known as “Prugnolo Gentile”, was studied and tested in order to find its best expression. Meanwhile, in the 1990s, international varieties were also planted, like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, initially blended to enrich Sangiovese and then also studied on their own. This desire to explore encouraged Federico to expand, first in Maremma in 1997 and then in Cortona in 2000.
Present and future
Firm in his belief of the potentiality of the territory of Montepulciano, Federico, for almost twenty years, has focused on reaching the highest expression of this territory in his wines; he has done this at every stage of production, from the vineyards to the cellar, allowing each bottle of wine to express both the tradition and authenticity of our splendid terroir. He has also dedicated himself to the production of “crus” of great renown and the complete elimination of chemical weeding and insecticides, revolutionizing the traditional techniques with a more ‘natural’ and sustainable approach which, from harvest 2021, will yield certified organic wines.
Third generation - today
The family passion for wine and the territory continues with Francesco and Maria Stella, who since 2019 and 2021 respectively, function as essential advisors to Federico, ready to interpret and face both current and future challenges.
Cellar
The path of quality continues in the cellar, built and expanded over the years, where all of our experience and care is aimed at producing high quality, natural, distinctive wines that best interpret the terroir. The first selection of the grapes takes place in the field with a harvest done by hand. The second takes place in the cellar with a fiber optic selection for most of the wines and a manual selection for our Cru.
Vinification
The vinification takes place in individual, truncated cone-shaped vats with indigenous yeasts at temperatures maintained around 26 ° C. The goal is to extract the highest quality polyphenolic components (noble tannins).
Refinement
The refinement of the wine takes place in wood barrels of varying size and type (Barrique, Tonneaux, as well as barrels of 30, 60 and 80 hl), chosen to enhance the territoriality of the wines and not overshadow it. Everything happens in a special aging cellar built in 2005 which is humidity and temperature controlled. After the refinement, a period of bottle aging follows, which varies depending on the wine.
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Wine Country Italy - Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige - in the Summer of 2025
Lake Como
At Villa Almana in Cernobbio at Lake Como - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Bolgheri
Dinner at La Tana del Pirata in Marina di Castagneto Carducci, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Winery Tour and Tasting at Tenuta Argentiera, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Florentine Steak - Dario Cecchini Selection - for Lunch at Osteria Magona in Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Running into Marco Balsimelli, Production Director, Ornellaia and Masseto, at Osteria Magona, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at La Macchiole, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Visiting Vigna Lodovico and Tasting Lodovico Antinori's Cult Wines Lodovico and Il Nicchio with his Assistant at Locanda dell' Aioncino - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Dinner at Locanda dell' Aioncino, Bibbona, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Tasting the Wines of Tenuta di Biserno and Staying at Relais di Biserno, Bibbona, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia): Barrel Cellar Tour and Tasting - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Bistecca alla Fiorentina for Lunch at Osteria Enoteca San Guido (Sassicaia), Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Ornellaia, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Dinner at La Pineta, with Chef/ Co-owner Daniele Zazzeri, a Michelin Starred Seafood Restaurant, at Marina die Bibbona, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Grattamacco, a Benchmark Producer in Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
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