Azienda Agricola Capanna di Cencioni

Giuseppe Cencioni founded Capanna in 1957 in order to break free from the mezzadria sharecropping system. With considerable sacrifice he purchased the Capanna farm, 25 hectares of woodland and fields left in a state of disrepair, made worse by the severe freeze of 1956 that had damaged most of the existing plants. In 1960, with a mortgage from the Agrarian Credit Institute of Tuscany and help from relatives, Giuseppe planted the estate's first specialized vineyard. The Brunello di Montalcino DOC was established in 1966, and in 1967 Giuseppe became one of 25 founding members of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, a role the Consortium's own records still credit him with today. The 1964 vintage was the first Capanna Brunello sold commercially, and the company grew steadily from there on a foundation of hard work and reinvestment.

• Founded 1957 by Giuseppe Cencioni to escape the mezzadria sharecropping system
• Purchased a 25-hectare farm damaged by the 1956 freeze; first specialized vineyard planted 1960
• One of 25 founding members of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino in 1967
• First Capanna Brunello (1964 vintage) sold on the market

In 1975 the estate began exporting Brunello DOC and Rosso di Montalcino, at the time labeled Rosso dai vigneti di Brunello, to Germany. The breakthrough came through Harald L. Bremer, a stone and building-materials importer and wine enthusiast who was pointed toward the Capanna land while visiting Montalcino, found Giuseppe in the vineyards thinning grapes, tasted the wine, and decided to import it. From that start, exports later expanded into Belgium, Japan, Canada, Switzerland and the United States. In 1990 the family suffered the loss of Franco, one of Giuseppe's two sons, who had run the estate's agricultural and livestock side; his brother Benito, the remaining son, closed the livestock operation afterward and, with his own sons Patrizio and Francesco, narrowed the family's focus to vineyards and wine production.

• German exports began 1975 via importer Harald L. Bremer, discovered by chance during a visit to Montalcino
• Exports later expanded to Belgium, Japan, Canada, Switzerland and the United States
• Franco Cencioni, who ran the agricultural and livestock side, died in 1990
• Benito Cencioni closed the livestock operation and refocused the estate on vineyards and wine with sons Patrizio and Francesco

Capanna has always been run exclusively at a family level, with no outside ownership. Today it is in the hands of Patrizio and Amedeo Cencioni, the third and fourth generation, who personally oversee the estate's oenological and agronomic work. Amedeo, Patrizio's son, is an enologist who has also expanded the family's hospitality offerings: the Capanna Suites project began with an initial renovation in 2004, resumed in 2013 to create a dedicated luxury agriturismo, and opened to the public in 2019, alongside Il Passaggio by Capanna, the estate's restaurant. Amedeo's stated goal in building the two ventures was to share the family's winemaking legacy and open the property to guests.

• Patrizio (third generation) and Amedeo (fourth generation) Cencioni run all vineyard and cellar work today
• No outside or corporate ownership; entirely family-run since 1957
• Amedeo, an enologist, led the Capanna Suites agriturismo and Il Passaggio restaurant, opened to the public in 2019
• Capanna Suites project began with a 2004 renovation, resumed in 2013 for the current luxury accommodations

All of Capanna's vineyards lie in the Montosoli area, north of Montalcino, long considered one of the best sites in the territory. The micro-climate's strong day-to-night temperature swings, combined with galestro clay soils, give the wines structure, acidity and elegance. New Sangiovese vines were planted starting in the 1960s, and the vineyard area has since grown to today's more than 20 hectares, all trained to bilateral spurred cordons at 250 to 300 meters elevation on mainly clayey, skeleton-rich galestro soils. Over the decades the family selected the best Sangiovese clones and preserved ancient strains of Moscato Bianco present in the area since the 16th century. The current plantings are approximately 80 percent Sangiovese, about 3 hectares of Moscato Bianco, about 1 hectare of Merlot, and about 5,000 square meters of Pinot Grigio. Vineyard work includes grassing and green manuring for soil structure and fertility, spring bud selection, canopy management, pre-veraison bunch thinning, and manual harvest with grape selection.

• All vineyards in the Montosoli area, north of Montalcino, at 250 to 300 meters elevation
• Clayey, skeleton-rich galestro soils; bilateral spurred cordon training
• About 80 percent Sangiovese, plus roughly 3 hectares Moscato Bianco, 1 hectare Merlot, and 5,000 square meters Pinot Grigio
• Ancient Moscato Bianco strains in the territory since the 16th century maintained in the vineyard

Capanna's cellar occupies a historic property dating to the eighteenth century, still developed partly in the original, renovated rooms as the vineyard area has grown. The winery includes a grape reception room, a large fermentation area, an aging cellar, and packaging and storage rooms; grapes are selected with an optical sorter after destemming. The best Sangiovese ferments in traditional truncated-conical oak vats for Brunello and, in part, Rosso di Montalcino; since 1988 the winery has automated temperature control and pump-over on the stainless steel tanks used for Sant'Antimo, Moscadello and other wines. Aging takes place in Slavonian oak barrels inside an underground cellar built around a stone gallery and restored original farmhouse rooms. Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (100 percent Sangiovese, 25-30 day skin maceration) ages in barrels of 10 to 32 hectoliters for about 30-36 months, then at least 6 months in bottle, going on sale from January of its fifth year. The Riserva, selected from the oldest vines and best harvests with 30-35 day maceration, ages in barrels of 10 to 25 hectoliters for about 36 to 40 months, then at least 15 months in bottle, released from January of its sixth year. Rosso di Montalcino DOC (100 percent Sangiovese, 18-20 day maceration) ages in casks of 20 to 32 hectoliters for 6-10 months plus 3-4 months in bottle. Moscadello di Montalcino DOC is 100 percent Moscato Bianco from native, massal-selected clones, macerated 1-2 days and fermented in stainless steel at 12 degrees C, aged only a few months in bottle before release.

• Brunello DOCG: 10-32 hl Slavonian oak, about 30-36 months, then 6-plus months in bottle
• Brunello DOCG Riserva: 10-25 hl Slavonian oak, about 36-40 months, then 15-plus months in bottle
• Rosso di Montalcino DOC: 20-32 hl Slavonian oak casks, 6-10 months, then 3-4 months in bottle
• Moscadello di Montalcino DOC: 100 percent Moscato Bianco, stainless-steel fermentation, released 4-6 months after harvest

Capanna occupies a founding position in Brunello di Montalcino's institutional history: Giuseppe Cencioni sat among the 25 producers who formed the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino in 1967, and the family has remained at the estate, unbroken, ever since. The Montosoli location adds further distinction as a long-recognized cru north of Montalcino. The estate produces about 80,000 to 100,000 bottles a year across the full range of Montalcino denominations, DOCG Brunello (including the Riserva and the Nicco selection) alongside Rosso di Montalcino, Moscadello, Sant'Antimo Rosso and Pinot Grigio, plus IGT wines, olive oil and grappa, all made and sold from the same eighteenth-century property the family has worked since 1957.

• One of 25 founding-member producers of the Brunello Consortium, 1967
• Unbroken family ownership and traditional winemaking across four generations since 1957
• Produces about 80,000 to 100,000 bottles a year across DOCG and DOC Montalcino wines
• Full range includes Brunello, Brunello Riserva, Brunello "Nicco," Rosso di Montalcino, Moscadello di Montalcino, and Sant'Antimo Rosso and Pinot Grigio

Primary sources (producer's own site and its affiliated Capanna Suites site): https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/vineyards/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/cellar/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/products/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/awards/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/visit-and-tastings/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/where-we-are/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/prodotto/brunello-di-montalcino/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/prodotto/brunello-di-montalcino-riserva/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/prodotto/rosso-di-montalcino/, https://www.capannamontalcino.com/en/prodotto/moscadello-di-montalcino/, https://www.capannasuites.com/en/capanna/storia-della-nostra-famiglia/, https://www.capannasuites.com/en/dining/, https://www.capannasuites.com/en/. Secondary source: Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (the appellation body), https://www.consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it/en/1415/capanna. Last verified 2026-09-14. Two secondary attempts to independently confirm the critic scores the estate lists on its own tastings page (Decanter World Wine Awards, Gardini Notes, Falstaff) failed the fetch integrity check (Cloudflare block on falstaff.com; empty JS shell on results.decanter.com) and were dropped; those specific point scores are therefore not asserted in this article, per PRIMARY-GOVERNS boundary on third-party award claims.