Riecine

References to the place name Riecine appear in the maps of the Abbey of San Lorenzo a Coltibuono from the 12th century; the first, recorded in the abbey archives, dates to December 1112, when the monastery acquired several pieces of vineyard, among them one at Riecine. The modern estate dates from 1971, when John Dunkley, an Englishman, and his wife, Palmina Abbagnano, bought the original 1.5 hectares from the neighbouring monastery of Badia a Coltibuono, renovated the old stone villa, restored the old vines and planted new ones. Their first Chianti Classico, the 1973 vintage, was released in 1975. In 1991 they hired a young winemaker, Sean O’Callaghan, as an apprentice; he went on to become the in-house winemaker. In 1998 ownership passed to the Baumann family of New York, Gary and Marlene Baumann, who began building a new cellar and owned Riecine until 2011. In December 2011 Lana Frank became the owner. Under her the cellar was renovated, a project completed in 2013 that enlarged the winemaking space from 400 to 1,100 square metres. In July 2024 Alessandro Campatelli bought the company shares from Lana Frank and became owner and sole shareholder.

• 1112: first record of the place name Riecine in the archives of the Abbey of San Lorenzo a Coltibuono.
• 1971: John Dunkley and Palmina Abbagnano buy 1.5 hectares from Badia a Coltibuono.
• 1975: release of the first Chianti Classico, the 1973 vintage.
• 1998: the Baumann family of New York becomes owner.
• December 2011: Lana Frank becomes owner.
• July 2024: Alessandro Campatelli becomes owner and sole shareholder.

The estate's site lists Alessandro Campatelli as CEO and winemaker. Born in 1984, he graduated in Viticulture and Oenology from the University of Pisa and worked at Tenuta di Trinoro (as director), Passopisciaro, Monteverro and Kendall-Jackson Monterey before joining Riecine on 31 July 2015 as general manager. After a year working alongside Sean O’Callaghan he also became technical manager, and Sean O’Callaghan handed over to him in 2016. Carlo Ferrini, a close friend of John Dunkley and Palmina Abbagnano, played an important early role in the wines and is now the external consultant. The rest of the team listed on the site comprises Palmiro Muscogiuri (deputy director, at Riecine since 2013), Monica Mezzadri (administration, since 2005), Mario Valisena (vineyard manager), Ilda Roci (cellar master, at Riecine since 2005) and Iacopo Casadio (sales manager, hospitality manager and communication).

• Alessandro Campatelli: CEO and winemaker; joined 31 July 2015; owner since July 2024.
• Carlo Ferrini: external consultant.
• Sean O’Callaghan: hired in 1991; handed over to Alessandro Campatelli in 2016.
• Palmiro Muscogiuri: deputy director.
• Mario Valisena: vineyard manager.
• Ilda Roci: cellar master.

Riecine's vineyards lie in the northern part of Gaiole in Chianti, at 480 to 600 metres above sea level, on limestone, schist and clay. All of them have been farmed under ICEA-certified organic management since 2006: the rows are grassed, weeding between them is purely mechanical, and topping and leaf stripping have been eliminated. The historic Palmina vineyard, which the Dunkleys found on their arrival, lies at about 480 metres, covers just over one hectare of Sangiovese and since 2010 has supplied the only grapes used in Riecine di Riecine. Below it, the Traborri vineyard grows the Merlot used for TreSette. The 2-hectare Teodoro vineyard was planted in 2014, and the Carlo vineyard, named after Palmina's brother and replanted in 2014, is the only one that grows a small share of Mammolo alongside Sangiovese. The Gittori vineyard, at around 460 metres, was planted in the early 1970s, leased by Riecine and then acquired in 2019, and its grapes almost always form the base of La Gioia. The Vertine vineyard in San Donato in Perano, at 520 metres, was acquired by John Dunkley in 1997, and La Casina, almost 2 hectares at 550 metres, has soils largely of sand and loose clay.

• Altitude 480 to 600 metres in the northern part of Gaiole in Chianti.
• ICEA-certified organic since 2006.
• Named vineyards: Palmina, Traborri, Alberello, Teodoro, Carlo, Terrazze, Bosco, Gittori, Vertine and La Casina.
• Gittori acquired in 2019; Vertine acquired by John Dunkley in 1997.

During the cellar renovation completed in 2013, Riecine bought 12 unglazed concrete tanks designed by the French company Nomblot, and most of its wines are still made in them. Fermentations are spontaneous, without added yeasts or selected bacteria, clarifiers or chemical stabilisers. Destemmed grapes, or whole bunches when required, go straight into the concrete vats, where their own weight partly crushes them and triggers a partial carbonic maceration; fermentation lasts 13 to 14 days on average. Three months before bottling, all the wines return to concrete vats in the open air for natural tartaric and protein stabilisation, without added adjuvants. Riecine di Riecine never comes into contact with wood during its vinification.

• 12 unglazed Nomblot concrete tanks, bought during the renovation completed in 2013.
• Spontaneous fermentations without added yeasts or selected bacteria.
• Partial carbonic maceration in concrete vats.
• Open-air natural stabilisation in concrete before bottling.

The Chianti Classico DOCG, Riecine's first label, dates from the 1973 vintage and is made from Sangiovese, aged in old tonneaux, large untoasted Grenier casks and concrete tanks. The Chianti Classico Riserva, made since 1975 from a selection of the best grapes destined for Chianti Classico, ages in a single large untoasted oak Grenier cask. The Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Gittori, a Sangiovese from the Gittori vineyard first made in 2019, ages for 24 months in 500-litre barrels more than four years old. Riecine di Riecine, a Rosso Toscana IGT first made in 2010, is a Sangiovese from the estate's oldest vines, matured in Nomblot unlined concrete eggs. La Gioia, a Sangiovese Rosso Toscana IGT produced since 1982, ages for 24 months in tonneaux of which a third are new; the estate presents it as the wine that showed what Sangiovese could bring to the Supertuscan category at a time when that term meant Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. The range also includes Palmina, a Sangiovese Toscana Rosé IGT first made in 2014; TreSette, a Merlot Toscana IGT first made in 2016 and named after the three 700-litre tonneaux it ages in; and Bianco di Riecine, a Trebbiano Bianco Toscana IGT first made in 2020 and fermented in cocciopesto amphorae, inspired by Luigi Veronelli's writing about the white wine Riecine made in the 1970s.

• Chianti Classico DOCG (Sangiovese; first label, 1973).
• Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG (Sangiovese; since 1975).
• Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG Vigna Gittori (Sangiovese; first vintage 2019).
• Riecine di Riecine, Rosso Toscana IGT (Sangiovese; first vintage 2010).
• La Gioia, Rosso Toscana IGT (Sangiovese; first vintage 1982).
• Palmina, Toscana Rosé IGT; TreSette, Merlot Toscana IGT; Bianco di Riecine, Bianco Toscana IGT (Trebbiano).

Alessandro Campatelli, quoted on the estate's site, puts the house character this way: “The characteristic of Riecine is certainly the recognizability of its wines. Products that are born on the Chianti Classico rock, and that despite the great structure of the Sangiovese maintain a beautiful elegance thanks to the incredible impact of the conifers that grow around.” The estate's site also carries John Dunkley's line on the variety: “When Baron Philippe de Rothschild plants Sangiovese, I will convert to Cabernet Sauvignon.” Reviewing the 2011 Chianti Classico, Jancis Robinson wrote that it seemed “a really pure expression of terroir in post-new-barrique style” and scored it 16.5 out of 20.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://riecine.it/riecine-we-grow-our-wine-22/, https://riecine.it/en/the-team/, https://riecine.it/en/the-vineyards/, https://riecine.it/wines/chianti-classico/, https://riecine.it/wines/chianti-classico-riserva/, https://riecine.it/wines/chianti-classico-gran-selezione-vigna-gittori/, https://riecine.it/wines/riecine-di-riecine/, https://riecine.it/wines/la-gioia/, https://riecine.it/wines/palmina/, https://riecine.it/wines/tresette/, https://riecine.it/wines/bianco-di-riecine/. Official body: Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico estate page, https://www.chianticlassico.com/en/estates/riecine/. Secondary sources: Decanter (Michaela Morris, published 8 April 2019) and Jancis Robinson (Riecine 2011 Chianti Classico). Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.