Le Filigare
(Winery in Chianti Classico)
About Winery and Wines
Le Filigare is the name of the hill on which the property stands in the heart of Chianti Classico between Siena and Florence. The estate consists of two hamlets: Le Filigare in the borough of Barberino Tavarnelle and Le Macine in the borough of Castellina in Chianti. The main hamlet, Le Filigare, dates back to the eleventh century and was known as Le Fiaccole di Sopra. The name derives from the slang term meaning ‘upper torches’. A long time ago, during the commemoration of the patron saint, the hamlet, with its commanding outlook, was illuminated with firebrands and the surrounding inhabitants gathered here to celebrate. Our house was already a place of hospitality back then when illustrious and important names featured in the guest list: Pope Pius IX spent a holiday at Le Filigare, invited by the Grand Duke Leopold of Tuscany to sample the fine wines and food and to relax in this splendid setting.
Since the nineteen eighties, the estate belongs to the Cassetti Burchi family, renowned silversmiths and jewelers of Florence. For thirty years Carlo Burchi oversaw the restoration of the property and the recuperation of the vineyards. With care and dedication, he created a prestigious company, known all around the world for the quality of its products. Today Carlo’s son, Alessandro, is at the helm to carry on the tradition together with his wife Deborah, and younger son Lorenzo. In 2016 the company adhered to quality criteria regarding both health and also respect and care for the environment and sustainability by converting to biological production.
Under the guidance of our expert agronomists, Doctor Alessandro Arretini and Doctor Raffaello Tiezzi, the 13 hectares of vineyards are mostly dedicated to the Sangiovese grape and then, for the typical characteristics of our Chianti Classico, the complementary Canaiolo and Colorino grapes. For our prestigious IGT, we also have the ‘international’ vine varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The estate has 10 hectares of olive groves – around 2,800 trees. These consist of three varieties, Frantoio, Leccino, and Moraiolo for the production of our Biological Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The conversion to biological cultivation has adjusted the outlook of the company in its constant pursuit of finer quality and its intent to focus particularly on the characteristics specific to the production of our terrain. Our production process follows tradition integrated with modern technology. Under the supervision of our cellar manager Andrea Biondi, the grapes are selected on arrival at the cellar and passed through the ‘diraspatrice’ or sorting table with rollers that separate the grapes from the stalks. Alcoholic fermentation takes place inside steel vats at a controlled temperature followed by the Malolactic phase in cement vats, also temperature controlled. Refinement in wood takes place mostly in big oaks in order to preserve the exceptional integrity of the Sangiovese grape and enhance the unique and elegant characteristics of our wines. Our Enologist, Doctor Alberto Antonini, one of the most esteemed enologists and amongst the top five in the world according to Decanter, personally selects the woods each year in order to realize the perfect equilibrium and exalt the specific characteristics unique to our terroir.
Le Filigare is a wine company in the heart and highest point of the Chianti Classico area, with 60 hectares of property of which 13 are vineyards, located between the typical Tuscan village of San Donato in Poggio and Castellina in Chianti.
Our philosophy is Quality and Tradition, we want to enhance the flavors of our unique land for soil and microclimate.
We produce Organic Wines all highly expressive of the terroir from which they come, from Chianti Classico DOCG (Annata, Riserva, and Gran Selezione) to IGT Super Tuscan and Vinsanto, passing through Grappa and Brandy.
Nature has blessed this area with unique characteristics: the hilly terrain, rich in ‘alberese’ structure on the upper slopes, ‘galestro’ in the lower western slopes (moderately clayish and calcareous) ensures good water retention while a densely wooded area protects the vineyards and olive groves from the cold north winds. The altitude of the vineyards varies between 450 and 550 meters above sea level, the climate is dry and benefits from the influence of marine breezes (as testified by the presence of umbrella pines) with a marked temperature range between day and night which favors the unique characteristics of the grapes.