Podere Castellinuzza di Coccia Paola

Some of Italy’s oldest producing vines cling to terraces, preserved under conditions that have long impeded disease. Today, the few remaining farmers who still employ the ancient Albarello Lamolese (bush training) method channel the intuitive, hands-on farming techniques that date back to the Romans and earlier.

Podere Castellinuzza would have flown under our radar if not for the persistent voice of our partner in neighboring Radda, Piero Lanza of Fattoria Poggerino (shout-out!). It was Piero that introduced us to Serena Coccia, a second-generation vignaiola who like him, passionately champions her site, its unique microclimate, and her wine’s individuality.

The estate’s history begins in the early 1900s, when Serena’s great-great-grandfather worked as a sharecropper. Under the mezzadria system, grapes were merely an afterthought to olives and iris harvested for perfume. Life was brutal, and by the 1960s, most families had moved to the cities. Yet, when the estate went up for sale in 1962, Serena’s grandfather defied convention and bought the land.

“Everyone said they were fools to buy it,” Serena recalls, “but they had a passion for the farm and a love of the work.”

The estate was amicably split in 1985, with Serena’s father, Paolo Coccia, inheriting nine hectares. Only three hectares are planted to vines on a northwest facing hillside with slopes reaching 50 percent. The ridgeway above it is home to the family’s home and cantina; the rest remains covered in chestnuts and dotted with olives.

After more than 70 harvests, Paolo remains a steady hand, a watchful eye, and master of Lamole’s terroir. But now, with Serena having returned home to take the reins in the early 2010s, she and her sisters make up an all-female led team.

“I love making wine because it’s a beautiful job,” she told us in June 2025. “I was always bored in my old administrative role, but here, I’m never bored. From the vineyard and cellar work to meeting visitors and sharing our story—I love it all.”

Then, about five years into her new chapter, something clicked for Serena. That’s when she began vinifying each plot separately, thereby letting the character of each to shine and deepening her understanding of the Lamolese identity.

The Production

Podere Castellinuzza produces three wines. The Chianti Classico is drawn from 50- and 60-year-old vines making up 80 percent of the plantings. Meanwhile, the Riserva is selected exclusively from 60-year-old vines in Vigna Maroni. Finally, a Gran Selezione, which Serena only started to produce in 2016, comes from the pre-Phylloxera terraces consisting of 150-year-old bush-trained vines.

The sisters adhere to organic protocols, planting cover crops between rows for ecological diversity. Harvest is conducted entirely by hand and typically runs into the first two weeks of October. After picking, the hum of natural fermentations lasts two to three weeks, during which regular pump-overs and gentle punch-downs are performed in cement to extract depth.

Aging is carried out entirely in cement for Classico (20 months) and Riserva (24 months), followed by further bottle refinement. The Gran Selezione follows the same path for 30 months, at which point the wine is transferred to Slavonian oak for an additional twelve months before bottling.

The resulting wines are deeply expressive: silken yet firm tannins frame a seductive mix of vibrant, dark fruits, violets, and spice, all lifted by a striking mineral backbone.

We are proud to partner with Podere Castellinuzza—it serves not only as a symbol of where Chianti is going, but as a vibrant reminder of what it has always been.