Podere Il Palazzzino
The Sderci family became owners of Il Palazzino in the middle of the nineteenth century. In the early 1970s, the current proprietors, Alessandro and Andrea Sderci, took over management of the estate, planting new vineyards and building a new, completely subterranean cellar. The estate is located in Monti in Chianti, 20 km northeast of Siena, in the southern part of Chianti Classico. Il Palazzino comprises about twenty hectares (fifty acres), mostly planted to vineyards with a small part planted to olive groves. Given the small size of the estate, working procedures are strictly manual and the soil is cultivated using organic methods. Vineyards are fertilized with compost and manure, but mostly the soil is managed with careful observation of the native weeds.
Insect pests are reduced at a minimum through the increase of biodiversity in the vineyard: striving to protect the diversity of insect life means first and foremost eliminating the use of insecticides; Fungi and mildew are kept under control by careful canopy management, and by improving the health of the soil. Fermentation uses only naturally present yeasts and the good quality of the grapes at harvest time allows now reduced amounts of sulfites.