This Sangiovese vineyard remains at the heart of the company’s vision, with a wine that bears its name and tells its story. Planted in 1975, it is now over fifty years old and gave rise to the estate’s first bottles.
September 23, 2026 (Chianti, Italy) — The history of Vecchie Terre di Montefili began with Anfiteatro Toscana IGT Rosso. Planted in 1975 on the hills between Greve in Chianti and Panzano, this Sangiovese vineyard is now more than fifty years old. Its grapes were used to produce the estate’s first bottles in the early 1980s, and since then it has always been vinified separately, a choice that has preserved the identity of this parcel through successive vintages and the evolution of the winery.
Anfiteatro Toscana IGT Rosso covers 2.25 hectares on Pietraforte soils, with a planting density of approximately 2,500 vines per hectare and the traditional Tuscan double Guyot training system. It is Montefili’s oldest vineyard and remains a key reference point in shaping the estate’s future.
Today, its care is entrusted to Serena Gusmeri, Montefili’s winemaker and agronomist. The work requires close attention to each vine and vineyard practices tailored to the conditions of every growing season. When a vine is lost, it is replaced through massal selection in order to preserve the vineyard’s genetic heritage. It is through decisions such as these that a vineyard planted in 1975 can continue to produce fruit while maintaining its identity. The age of the vines is therefore the starting point of a story that is still being written.
“Our Anfiteatro vineyard is where the story of Montefili began. Working with vines planted in 1975 means observing each plant carefully and adapting our decisions to every season. Massal selection helps us preserve the vineyard’s genetic heritage; it is a tangible way of protecting its identity and guiding it into future vintages,” says Serena Gusmeri.
In the glass, Anfiteatro Toscana IGT Rosso 2020 shows structure and depth, with ripe fruit and intense aromas of spirit-soaked cherry and blackberry, intertwined with notes of dark chocolate and tobacco. It is a wine with remarkable ageing potential, whose evolution can also be traced through the vintages preserved in the estate’s historic cellar. Tasting them offers the opportunity to rediscover the same vineyard across different seasons and to observe how Sangiovese develops over time after harvest.
Its character is further defined by Montefili’s unique setting, where vineyards reach elevations of up to 540 metres above sea level. Constant ventilation and significant day-night temperature variations encourage gradual ripening and help preserve the freshness of the grapes. Serena Gusmeri’s deep knowledge of each parcel informs every stage of production, from vineyard management to winemaking decisions.
For Montefili, slow time has a precise location: these 2.25 hectares of Sangiovese, cultivated since 1975 and still producing fruit today. Preserving them means continuing to work with the vineyard where it all began, allowing each new vintage of Anfiteatro to carry its story forward.
Vecchie Terre di Montefili
Located between the UGAs of Panzano and Montefioralle in the heart of Chianti Classico, Vecchie Terre di Montefili was founded in 1975 and acquired in 2015 by Frank Bynum and Tom Peck Jr. Today, under the direction of winemaker and agronomist Serena Gusmeri, the estate farms 12.5 hectares of vineyards at approximately 540 metres above sea level, following a philosophy rooted in sustainability, biodiversity and the careful expression of individual vineyard parcels. Sangiovese lies at the heart of production, giving rise to wines that combine elegance, a profound sense of place and outstanding ageing potential.
