Vecchie Terre di Montefili

The estate's own account traces cultivation on Monte Fili to Etruscan and Roman times and to the Benedictine monks of Badia a Passignano, associated with the hill from 986 AD. The property's modern chapter began in 1975, when Roccaldo Acuti purchased the land and planted the Anfiteatro vineyard, the estate's first and oldest, laid out in the amphitheatre-shaped pattern that gives the wine its name. Ownership passed to Acuti's daughter in 2004. In 2015 the estate was sold to three American partners: Nicola Marzovilla, a New York restaurateur; Frank Bynum, a collector; and Tom Peck Jr., based in Florida. The estate carries the formal name Vecchie Terre di Montefili while marketing itself today as Montefili.

• Site history traced by the estate to Etruscan and Roman times and to the Benedictine monks of Badia a Passignano, associated with the hill from 986 AD
• Anfiteatro, the estate's first and oldest vineyard, planted 1975 by Roccaldo Acuti at the winery's founding
• Ownership passed to Acuti's daughter in 2004
• Sold in 2015 to three American partners: Nicola Marzovilla, Frank Bynum, and Tom Peck Jr.

Since 2015, Montefili has been guided by winemaker and agronomist Serena Gusmeri under the ownership of Marzovilla, Bynum, and Peck. Gusmeri, who is from Brescia in Lombardy, studied oenology at the University of Verona, earned a master's degree in Milan, and completed her thesis work in Australia. She began her career making sparkling wine in Franciacorta before moving south to work in Campania, then arrived at Montefili in 2015. She is the only female winemaker among the 26 wineries of Panzano. In January 2026, Volio Imports, a national importer of Italian wines founded in 2007, announced it had added Vecchie Terre di Montefili to its portfolio, with inventory available since November 2025. Volio founder and CEO Charles Lazzara described the estate's range as highlighting "the depth of Sangiovese and the importance of terroir, with its most notable wine being Anfiteatro Toscana IGT, its historic single-vineyard expression rooted in Panzano."

• Serena Gusmeri, from Brescia, studied oenology at the University of Verona and holds a master's degree from Milan; her thesis work was completed in Australia
• Gusmeri's career began in Franciacorta making sparkling wine, then Campania, before she joined Montefili in 2015
• The only female winemaker among the 26 wineries of Panzano
• Added to Volio Imports' portfolio in January 2026, part of Volio's stated mission to reach wine lovers across the U.S.; inventory available since November 2025

Montefili farms 12.5 hectares between 480 and 550 metres above sea level, straddling the Panzano and Montefioralle UGAs; most of the vineyards lie in Panzano, with the estate's highest plots in Montefioralle. The estate's technical notes describe its soils as Pietra Forte, Alberese, and schistose clays with prevalent galestro. Anfiteatro, the first and oldest vineyard (1975), sits on galestro and quartz soil. Vinea Vecchia, a half-acre parcel planted in 1981 near the top of the hill, is on predominantly alberese soil. Vinea nel Bosco, the estate's highest vineyard at about 1,750 feet above sea level in the Montefioralle UGA, was planted in the early 2000s on alberese, limestone, and marl soil, and takes its name from the small wooded area surrounding the vines. The Chianti Classico DOCG bottling draws on vines from the late 1990s on clay and silt soil, while the Gran Selezione is sourced from plots planted in 1998 and 2002 on Alberese soil. About 2 acres are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, dating to the early 1980s, for the Bruno di Rocca blend.

• 12.5 hectares at 480-550 metres, spanning the Panzano and Montefioralle UGAs
• Anfiteatro (1975): galestro and quartz soil; Vinea Vecchia (1981): predominantly alberese soil
• Vinea nel Bosco: the estate's highest vineyard, about 1,750 feet above sea level in the Montefioralle UGA, planted in the early 2000s on alberese, limestone, and marl
• About 2 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in the early 1980s, source the Bruno di Rocca blend

Montefili vinifies each hectare separately, relying on spontaneous fermentation and aging in medium-to-large neutral oak botti and tonneaux rather than new barriques. The Chianti Classico DOCG ages 15 months in large oak barrels plus 9 months in bottle. The Gran Selezione ages 24 months in 2,000-litre barrels plus 8 months in bottle. Vinea Vecchia ages 26 months in 1,000-litre oak barrels, and Vinea nel Bosco 26 months in 2,000-litre barrels, each followed by at least a year in bottle. Anfiteatro ages 28 months in barrels and casks, and Bruno di Rocca is refined for 26 months in barrels and casks. Since 2015, the owners and Gusmeri have set aside roughly half of each year's production for extended cellaring to identify the wines' optimal drinking windows before release. Since 2018, Gusmeri has led a zone-based terroir-mapping project, identifying soil types across the estate's parcels so each is vinified separately. Separately, the estate partners with Vite Nova Vine Wellness to study and nurture the health of its soils, flora, and microfauna.

• Spontaneous fermentation throughout; aging in neutral oak botti and tonneaux, no new barriques
• Anfiteatro: 28-month aging in barrels and casks; Gran Selezione: 24 months in 2,000-litre barrels plus 8 months in bottle
• Roughly half of each year's production held back for extended cellaring since 2015 to determine drinking windows
• Since 2018, a zone-based terroir-mapping project has identified soil types parcel by parcel; the estate separately partners with Vite Nova Vine Wellness on soil and vine health

Vinous critic Antonio Galloni has called Montefili "one of Chianti Classico's more cultish estates, with powerful wines that capture the essence of this unique property." The estate's own tally of press scores includes a 98-point rating for the 2018 Anfiteatro from Galloni at Vinous, a Gold medal for the 2018 Chianti Classico DOCG at the Decanter World Wine Awards, and a Bronze for the 2018 Bruno di Rocca at the same competition; the 2019 Chianti Classico DOCG drew 93 points from Jeb Dunnuck and 91 from Robert Parker. In 2022 the estate earned Diversity Ark certification, a soil-health and biodiversity standard designed by agronomists Stefano Amadeo and Stefano Zaninotti and certified at the European level by CSQA. At Vinitaly 2024, Montefili presented the Chianti Classico DOCG 2020, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 2019, Vigna Vecchia and Vigna nel Bosco IGT Toscana 2019 (the latter a 2,400-bottle release from the Montefioralle UGA), the 2019 Anfiteatro, and a relaunched Bruno di Rocca 2016, an 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese blend praised by Wine Spectator's Bruce Sanderson for its aging potential. In January 2026, national importer Volio Imports added the estate to its portfolio.

• "One of Chianti Classico's more cultish estates" - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
• 2018 Anfiteatro: 98 points, Antonio Galloni/Vinous; 2018 Chianti Classico DOCG: Gold, Decanter World Wine Awards
• Diversity Ark certification (2022), a biodiversity and soil-health standard certified by CSQA at the European level
• 2024 Vinitaly lineup included a relaunched Bruno di Rocca 2016 (80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese), praised by Wine Spectator's Bruce Sanderson

Primary sources (producer's own site, fetched as raw page text via curl and tag-stripping, not a summarizing tool): https://montefiliwines.com/, .../about-us/, .../wines/, .../viticulture/, .../visit/, .../points-and-prizes/, .../contact-us/. Secondary sources (also fetched as raw page text): PR Newswire / Volio Imports (published Jan 15, 2026), Decanter wine-review data page for the 2021 Chianti Classico, 1WineDude.com (published Sept 19, 2024), Please the Palate (Allison Levine), Grape Experiences (Cindy Rynning, Aug 2025), Wine Italy 24 (published May 9, 2024), Wine Industry Advisor (published Apr 4, 2024), and the Unione Viticoltori di Panzano producer page. Jancis Robinson's producer page for this estate returned HTTP 403 on two attempts and was not used (PRIMARY-UNREACHED for that one secondary). Last verified 2026-09-10. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; see conflicts.json for the Diversity Ark certification year, Vinea Vecchia/Vigna Vecchia and Vinea nel Bosco/Vigna nel Bosco naming, soil-attribution, and production-volume discrepancies.