Stella di Campalto / Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe

The farm at San Giuseppe and the land around it were given to Stella di Campalto as a wedding gift in 1992, when San Giuseppe was a ruin and its land had been abandoned for over half a century. She came to live there with her family, below Castelnuovo dell'Abate, in a corner of the Val d'Orcia between Mount Amiata to the east and the Maremma hills to the west. The business is Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe di Viola di Campalto Stella, at Podere S. Giuseppe 38 in Montalcino. The estate was completely replanted in 1992, went organic in 1996 and has followed biodynamics since 2002. Its first vintage was 2001, a Rosso di Montalcino, and the 2004 gave the first Brunello di San Giuseppe. The entire 2003 production was declassified to Rosso di Montalcino, and the debut Brunello, the 2004, was not to be released until 2009.

• Wedding gift of the San Giuseppe farm and its land in 1992; the farm was a ruin and the land abandoned for over half a century
• Replanted in 1992, organic from 1996, biodynamic since 2002
• First vintage 2001 (Rosso di Montalcino); first Brunello from the 2004 vintage
• Entire 2003 production declassified to Rosso di Montalcino

The estate tells the story of San Giuseppe in Stella di Campalto's first-person voice, and the business name, Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe di Viola di Campalto Stella, carries her name. A team of men and women who have worked with the estate for years carries out the agricultural work.

• Stella di Campalto: received the San Giuseppe farm as a wedding gift in 1992
• Vineyard work carried out by a long-standing team of men and women

The estate's wines come from nine vineyards covering 7 hectares, and it vinifies only the grapes of its own vineyards. Twelve different soil types radiate around the cellar, among them galestro, calcite, clay, sand, iron and quartz, and the soils stay cold, a paradox at an altitude of 350 metres. The vineyards are Leccio (1.8 ha, planted 1998, 290 m average altitude), Curva (1.6 ha, 1998), Ulivo (1.3 ha, 2003), Bassa (1 ha, 1998), Quercia (0.75 ha, 2019), San Giuseppe (0.7 ha, 1992), Sasso (0.4 ha, 1998), Bosco (0.4 ha, 2003, 210 m average altitude) and Tondino (0.21 ha, 2019). All are Sangiovese except 0.4 ha of Ulivo, planted to allochthonous vines. The soils have never been fertilized or irrigated, and the estate picks fourteen parcels separately and vinifies them individually.

• Nine vineyards covering 7 hectares; only estate grapes are vinified
• 12 soil types including galestro, calcite, clay, sand, iron and quartz
• Largest parcels: Leccio 1.8 ha, Curva 1.6 ha, Ulivo 1.3 ha; oldest: San Giuseppe, planted 1992; newest: Tondino and Quercia, planted 2019
• Never fertilized nor irrigated; fourteen parcels picked and vinified separately

The cellar sits on three levels with a drop system. Grapes are hand-picked into small crates, destemmed, and fall into 30-quintal wooden vats below, and nothing is added except sulphur dioxide in minimum doses. Each of the nine vineyards is harvested, vinified and stored individually. After fermentation the wine moves to an ageing cellar 14 meters below the surface, where the temperature is naturally constant and the estate prefers small barrels made of thick wood; wood ageing can last over 45 months for some wines. The estate makes only pure varietal wine, always 100% from the declared vintage, and bottles are filled one by one and stored in a temperature-controlled environment. The Sangiovese ferments spontaneously.

• Three-level cellar with a drop system; hand-picked grapes fall into 30-quintal wooden vats
• Nothing added except minimal sulphur dioxide
• Ageing cellar 14 meters underground; small thick-wood barrels; over 45 months in wood for some wines
• Pure varietal Sangiovese, 100% from the declared vintage

With the 2016 vintage the estate began creating different masse, combinations of its vineyards assembled to express the vintage; it works only with 100% Sangiovese, and a massa is sometimes a single vineyard. In 2016 it made two single-vineyard wines and two masse. The estate's vintage list names, among others, Brunello di Montalcino Corso and Bacia (2019); Cielo, Bosco and Aria (2018); VCLC (Vigna Curva Lato Cantina), Rosa Amore and Piccoli Contenitori (2016); Rosso di Montalcino Libero (2014); a Brunello di Montalcino Riserva in each vintage from 2009 to 2013; and Beatrice and Benedetta (2011), alongside Rosso di Montalcino. The current releases are Brunello Aria 2018, Bacia 2019 and Brunello di Montalcino VCLC 2016; wines are released only when they are ready rather than on a calendar. The estate also offers a Grappa di Brunello di Montalcino Riserva distilled by the G. Nannoni distillery in Paganico, and an extra virgin olive oil from Moraiolo trees planted in 1920.

• Masse since the 2016 vintage: different vineyard combinations, all 100% Sangiovese
• 2018: Cielo, Bosco, Aria; 2019: Corso, Bacia
• 2016: VCLC (Vigna Curva Lato Cantina), Rosa Amore, Piccoli Contenitori
• 2011: Riserva, Beatrice, Benedetta
• Current releases: Brunello Aria 2018, Bacia 2019, Brunello di Montalcino VCLC 2016

In the estate's own words: "In the vineyards and in the cellar we do not operate according to a standardized protocol or recipe," and "Our job is to listen when the vineyards speak." The estate calls each vineyard a small Cru with its own personality and character. Decanter's Helen Farrell wrote in 2017 of "an otherworldly wine of divine finesse, whether as Rosso or Brunello." Jancis Robinson, tasting the 2003 Rosso di Montalcino in 2006, found it "really expressive of grape and place, but with great grace and delicacy." The estate advises uncorking its bottles 20 minutes before tasting, except the Brunello 2010, which needs many hours, and uses only Burgundy-type glasses.

• No standardized protocol or recipe in vineyard or cellar
• Decanter (Helen Farrell, 2017): "an otherworldly wine of divine finesse"
• Jancis Robinson (2006, on the 2003 Rosso): "great grace and delicacy"
• Serving: uncork 20 minutes ahead (the Brunello 2010 many hours); Burgundy-type glasses

Tim Atkin's classification of Montalcino estates, posted by the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino in October 2015, listed Stella di Campalto among its First Growths. The wines are Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. For visitors, the estate arranges two visits per week, a route from the vineyards to the winery where the latest vintages can be tasted from barrel, with the fee limited to a purchase of one or more bottles. Visits and tastings are set to resume in 2026, once the renovation of the cellar is complete.

• First Growth in Tim Atkin's Montalcino classification, posted by the Consorzio in October 2015
• Two visits per week; barrel tasting of the latest vintages; fee limited to a bottle purchase
• Visits to resume in 2026 after cellar renovation

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.stelladicampalto.it/en/, https://www.stelladicampalto.it/en/portfolio/san-giuseppe/, https://www.stelladicampalto.it/en/portfolio/terreni-vigna/, https://www.stelladicampalto.it/en/portfolio/frutto-in-vino/, https://www.stelladicampalto.it/en/portfolio/bottiglie-annata-storie/, https://www.stelladicampalto.it/en/portfolio/visite-san-giuseppe/. Secondary sources: Jancis Robinson (September 2006), Decanter (Helen Farrell, July 2017), Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino (October 2015). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12.