This Chianti Classico Winemaker Refuses to Follow Wine Trends
/You've got to love a woman who sticks to her guns.
Winemaker Serena Gusmeri has strong convictions and stands defiantly against the whims of the wine market. As the agronomist and winemaker at Vecchie Terre di Montefili, a tiny 12.5-hectare property in Chianti Classico, she has built her reputation not on chasing trends, but on rejecting them entirely.
"Today everyone wants to have bubbles in their line of production," Gusmeri explains during a recent virtual tasting from Montefili’s hilltop vineyard in Panzano, in the heart of the Chianti Classico wine region.
The irony isn't lost on her. Gusmeri comes from Franciacorta, Italy's sparkling wine capital, where she learned to make the very wines that dominate today's market. Yet when the three American owners of Montefili suggested adding a sparkling wine to the winery’s portfolio, her response was clear: “I will never do a sparkling wine at Montefili."
It's not that Gusmeri is trying to be different just for the sake of it. She has simply chosen to focus on what this particular piece of Tuscany does best, rather than chasing the latest market trends.
"I’ve decided to respect the expression of the place," she says. "We could probably make a good sparkling wine, but it's not my goal. We have Sangiovese. We are here for Chianti Classico."
Terroir and Biodiversity
Gusmeri is especially enamored with Montefili's unique terroir. Perched between 1,500 and 1,700 feet in elevation, significantly higher than Panzano’s famous Conca d'Oro just three miles away, the property sits on three distinct soil types: Pietraforte (compact rock), Alberese (limestone), and Galestro (clay-like). Each type creates dramatically different expressions of Sangiovese, a diversity Gusmeri has spent a decade learning to harness.
In the vineyards with Serena Gusmeri. Photo: @montefili
Heading to Tuscany? For information on tastings and tours, visit MontefiliWines.com.
Since 2018, Gusmeri has led biodiversity research at Montefili, sampling soil, stems, leaves, grape bunches, wildflowers, and insects twice a year, and documenting up to 62 wildflower species across the estate.
“We even found wild orchids, which are rare in vineyards,” she notes. “Their presence shows the soil isn’t compacted—there’s micro-oxygenation, supported by insect activity.”
This focus on biodiversity shapes her winemaking. When advised to uproot the 1975 vines in Montefili’s prized Anfiteatro vineyard, Gusmeri refused. “I said, ‘OK, but then I’d have to wait another 40 years for vines like these.’ Instead, we focus on improving their quality.”
Today, Anfiteatro yields what she calls “a very powerful, rich Sangiovese” distinct from her other parcels. “Even tasting the grapes off the vine, the flavor is completely different. That’s unbelievable,” she says.
Minimal Intervention, Maximum Expression
In the cellar, Gusmeri relies on spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks and aging in large traditional botti, some of which hold 3,000 liters. “I don’t alter the temperature or interfere,” she says. “The goal is to capture the soil, the altitude, and the age of the vines.”
Her wines age at least 18 months in large barrels, followed by an additional 8 to 10 months in bottles before release. “After eight vintages, we’ve learned how crucial it is to let the wine rest in medium-to-big barrels,” she says. “The results speak for themselves.”
Gusmeri’s convictions are paying off. Montefili’s Chianti Classicos are often described as unmistakably different and very specific to Panzano. She also sees the market catching up. “The new generation is more sensitive to the environment and curious to understand what’s behind the wine,” she says. Visitors are especially struck when she explains how flowers and biodiversity shape the vineyard, ultimately influencing the wines.
For Gusmeri, wine isn’t just about taste. It’s a story of a place.
Three Vecchie Terre di Montefili Wines Tasted
Chianti Classico 2021 (approx. $29.99)
Gusmeri's entry-level Chianti Classico represents her vision of everyday elegance. Aged 18 months in large 3,000-liter botti, this wine is the “wine for people, for everyday." The 2021 vintage is notable for its high-altitude freshness. "I like the 2021 very much,” says Gusmeri, “because it has a very important richness and taste, but at the same time, it is so fresh and you can recognize the red fruits.”
Gran Selezione 2019 ($86.99)
This wine combines fruit from two upper-elevation vineyards: Vigna Nova (pietraforte soils) and Vigna al Bosco (limestone and galestro). "I vinify and age the two vineyards separately, then I decide how to make the blend," Gusmeri explains. "The Gran Selezione is spicier, with more depth of taste, with long and elegant tannins. The freshness at the end that characterizes our Sangiovese."
Anfiteatro ($162.99)
This wine is a very powerful, rich Sangiovese and very different from the other two. "It's a perfect equilibrium between the soil, the roots, and the age of the vines," says Gusmeri. "Here you have a very powerful structure, but with a very long taste, well-balanced. The freshness of Montefili is the key to understanding the taste of our Sangiovese."
