San Donato in Poggio is one of the Additional Geographical Units of the Chianti Classico region and is set within a rolling landscape that stretches between the River Pesa, woods, olive groves and hills marking the transition between the Val di Pesa and the Val d’Elsa. Geological diversity is one of the territory’s most distinctive features: alongside the Alberese, which belongs to the Monte Morello Formation, there are Pietraforte, the Ottone-Monteverdi Flysch, marls from the Sillano Formation and areas of marine sand around Monsanto. This variety of soils, exposures and altitudes promotes balanced ripening of the grapes, resulting in wines that combine freshness, aromatic finesse and structure.
Sangiovese is the principal grape variety, complemented by Canaiolo Nero, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Malvasia Nera, Mammolo, Pugnitello and, in some blends, international varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet. The Chianti Classico wines from this area generally express aromas of red fruits, violets and spices, with well-defined tannins and a pleasant length on the palate, ranging from more elegant expressions on the cooler slopes to deeper, more complex wines from the more structurally rich soils. The winemaking tradition, linked to the medieval village and the historic mixed cultivation with olive trees, is being revitalised today through plot-specific vinification, fermentation methods that respect the grapes’ identity, and carefully calibrated ageing, from concrete to wood.