Estates are usually small and the undulating landscape serves as a heat trap for the region, which is ideal for the production of red wine with good ageing potential.  Chianti is the true home of the Sangiovese grape and Vignamaggio’s vineyards are located in Greve-in-Chianti, within the superior Chianti Classico zone.Situated halfway between Florence and Siena, the Vignamaggio estate, in its quintessentially beautiful Tuscan setting, was built by the Gherardini family at the beginning of the 15^th century. Rich in history and intrigue, it is said that Leonardo da Vinci’s perhaps most celebrated portrait, the Mona Lisa, was born here! It was also thanks to a Vignamaggio wine that the term ‘Chianti’ was first used in 1404, spawning Italy’s most successful wine ‘brand’. The estate was then bought and restored to its former glory by Gianni Nunziante. The success of this restoration was confirmed in 1993 when the villa and its grounds had the honour of being chosen as the stunning set for Kenneth Branagh’s film version of Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. In very recent times, a change of ownership has ushered in an exciting new era at Vignamaggio, notably the restoration of its historic buildings and the redevelopment of the wider estate along the lines of the mediaeval ‘gran giardino’ concept — a polyculture where vineyards thrive alongside olive groves, vegetable gardens, orchards and a forest.