Our philosophy

Our estate wines are made only from our grapes; sourced from the vineyards we farm. We have great affection for Sangiovese, Chianti Classico and the distinctness of Panzano. Every decision we make is with the aim of creating wines which are true to our land.

We farm our vines biodynamically*. This allows for the greatest expression of terroir, ultimate quality, and harmony between our vineyards and the environment.

Our methods involve maximizing the quality of the fruit that comes from our vineyards, harvesting at optimal ripeness and selecting only the best fruit when hand picking and sorting. The fruit is de-stemmed and lightly crushed directly into small, stainless steel or oak fermentation tanks. The grape must is held 3 to 5 days in pre-fermentation maceration in a temperature controlled condition; thereafter the temperature is allowed to rise to a maximum of 30°C for alcoholic fermentation. During this time the ferment is regularly hand plunged. After 20 to 27 days, the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in oak. Depending on the desired style, varying sizes of oak are selected for maturation. After maturing 8 to 30 months in oak, the wines are bottled without filtration or fining*. All fruit is sourced from Monte Bernardi and only indigenous yeast and bacteria are used. The minimal addition of sulfites is kept to the minimum consistent with ensuring the longevity of the wine’s natural flavor and color. In short, the result of this labor of love is pure wines which express the essence of Panzano.

We live and work to serve our consumers with delicious, high quality wines. Our methods respect both the environment and the people with whom we work.

Enjoy the fruits of our labor!

Michael and Jennifer Schmelzer

* Biodynamics is a collection of traditional farming practices, which was collected in the works of Rudolf Steiner.