Louis Latour Agencies
Producers
Banfi
Vineyards and Winemaking
Vineyards
Banfi have vineyards in Tuscany (Montalcino, Bolgheri and Chianti Classico) and Piedmont.
Montalcino is their principal estate and lies at the confluence of the Orcia and Ombrone rivers on the southern slopes of the township facing the Mediterranean. Here conditions are ideal with a variety of soils; structured clay and chalk for the reds and soils with stones and a high proportion of organic matter for their whites. Well-exposed vineyards benefit from plenty of sunshine, breezes and a significant diurnal temperature range. These factors make the area ideal for grape cultivation including the native Sangiovese and Moscadella varieties with a selection of red and white international varieties.
The Chianti Classico area lies between Florence and Siena. Banfi's Chianti Classico estate lies on the hillsides of Castellina in Chianti, at 450 metres above sea-level, to the north of Siena on poor clay loam soils. The area has long summers and bitter winters and in summer, it is not uncommon for a chilly evening to follow the blinding heat of the day. This large diurnal temperature range benefits the growth of the vine allowing it to develop and mature slowly.
Banfi Piemonte was created in 1979 when the Mariani family purchased the historic Bruzzone winery and vineyards. It is located on hillsides by the towns of Novi Ligure and Strevi where a variety of noble grapes are planted on calcareous and clay-calcareous soils. The area benefits from ambundant rainfall between the months of October and April. The hot, dry summers are accompanied by sea breezes which mitigate these high temperatures. September is usually warm, with a large diurnal temperature range that allows for gradually maturation of the grapes. Banfi produce white, red and sparkling wines here.
Castello Banfi was the first winery in the world to be awarded international recognition for exceptional environmental, ethical and social responsibility (ISO 14001 and SA8000) as well as an international leader in customer satisfaction (ISO 9001:2000). To learn more about Castello Banfi's efforts on their environment stewardship, visit our page on Sustainability, Organics and Biodynamics.
Winemaking
Winemaking at Castello Banfi aims to fulfil the promise of the grapes and retain the character of the land. Traditional methods are combined with state of the art technology and innovation.
The process begins with hand harvesting for the red grapes, followed by hand sorting down to individual berry level to ensure only perfectly healthy fruit finds its way into the finished wines. White grapes are harvested by machine to ensure they can be brought in quickly.
Fermentation takes place in Banfi’s unique hybrid fermenters which combine the hygienic properties of steel with the natural oxygenation and character imparted by wood.
More than 7000 customised barriques and large oak barrels lie in Banfi’s cellars. Following extensive research Banfi barrels are made from French oak from the forests of Allier, Nevers, Fontainebleau and Tronçais. The staves are stacked outside for 3 years in a heptagon formations to allow even weathering before they are transformed into barrels. The toasting of the inside of each barrel is done at lower temperatures and over a longer period to avoid charring and obtain more uniform results.
The wines are bottled without filtration and under nitrogen which reduces the need to add sulphites at bottling and results in purer more expressive wines.