Il Sassolo

The Mannelli family founded Il Sassolo wine estate in 1972. Since then, with extreme passion and respect for these unspoiled hills, well loved in the past by the Medici’s dynasty, and sensing the potential of the territory, they renovated the ancient farmhouse dating back to the Grand-Ducal era, built a modern cellar and planted new vineyards. All this in order to lovingly produce a noble and graceful wine.

The property currently covers 14 hectares, of which 3 are olive groves and 6 are vineyards. These last are located about 180 meters above sea level in Santa Cristina a Mezzana, one of the historic crus of the Carmignano area, in a natural basin within the Montalbano Mountain range, with the Artimino hill overseeing it. An optimal exposure to the East and South, combined with a favourable microclimate, help the grapes to ripen with very few phytosanitary interventions.

The first vineyard dates back to 1970 with subsequent expansions and new implants in 2001, 2002 and 2018. The vines are those allowed by the Carmignano Docg and Barco Reale di Carmignano Doc protected appellations, therefore mainly Sangiovese, with smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

The grapes are all hand-picked, in line with local winemaking traditions. The use of oak is carefully planned to support in a non-invasive
way the undisturbed resting of the wine during the maturation period, which can last up to 16 months in case of the Carmignano Docg.