The origins of the estate date back to the seventeenth century as residence of the Bishop of Sant’Antimo and Montalcino, but the Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona winery we know today was founded by the Banchini family in 1985 after a story that looks like a movie script.
The estate belonged to the Church until 1877 when it was bought by a private: Francesco Ciacci. Ciacci's daughter married a member of the noble Piccolomini d’Aragona family; however she remained a widow and having no heirs, on her death she left the property to her most trusted collaborator: Giuseppe Bianchini. For Bianchini it was a real surprise, but he was able to take advantage of this opportunity to restructure the vineyards and start a production of quality Brunello di Montalcino.
Today the sons of Guseppe Bianchini, Paolo and Lucia, carry on the business. The vineyards of the estate are located in the Castelnuovo dell’Abate area, on the south-east side of Montalcino, overlooking the Orcia river between 240 and 360 meters above sea level.
The mild and dry microclimate of this area, sheltered by Monte Amiata, together with the marly nature of the soils, are the basis of a Brunello with good structure and energy. Within their estate the Banchinis have identified real Crus: Pianrosso and Santa Caterina d’oro. The vineyards are conducted with organic farming, grapes are harvested at the perfect state of ripeness, sometimes even recurring to several passages in the same vineyard. In the cellar they are guided by an expert Brunello enologist such as Paolo Vagaggini. The wine style is traditional, that is to say wines are made with long macerations and aging in large barrels. The estate includes 55 hectares of vineyards and produces 300,000 bottles a year.