Italy · Chianti Hills

Fattoria Rignana

Organic Chianti Classico estate on the Panzano rim, making Sangiovese-led wines from Galestro vineyards at altitude. The hedgehog on every bottle is borrowed from a bishop who died in exile here in 1810.

The producer

Cosimo Gericke runs Fattoria di Rignana from a hamlet that sits at the western edge of the Panzano area, on a ridge that faces away from the famous Conca d'Oro rather than into it. The Gericke family has owned the 120-hectare property since 1965, and Cosimo farms around 14 hectares of vine on Galestro soils between 300 and 400 metres above sea level. All wines are estate-grown and organically certified, made from Sangiovese with Canaiolo, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot in supporting roles.

The range runs from a Sangiovese-Canaiolo Chianti Classico through a Riserva and a single-vineyard Gran Selezione from the Le Villane parcel, 100% Sangiovese and the apex of the estate. Il Riccio, a Cabernet Franc IGT named for the estate hedgehog, sits outside the DOCG hierarchy entirely. That hedgehog traces back to Scipione de' Ricci, a reformist bishop exiled to Rignana in the late eighteenth century, who died on the property in 1810 and left his coat of arms behind. The Gerickes put it on the label, and it has been there ever since.

Known for

Chianti Classico DOCG at three tiers, including the Le Villane single-vineyard Gran Selezione. Cabernet Franc IGT (Il Riccio).

Notable facts

The story

The Bishop's Hedgehog

Scipione de' Ricci served as Bishop of Prato and Pistoia from 1780 to 1791, a Jansenist reformer whose efforts to simplify Church liturgy and shift authority toward the laity earned him serious enemies within the Italian hierarchy. When Rome moved against him, Ricci capitulated and resigned his see. He was sent to Rignana. He spent his remaining years on the estate, far from the councils and correspondence that had defined his career, and died there in 1810. His coat of arms showed a hedgehog. When the Gericke family began bottling wine from the estate's vines, they took the hedgehog from the old coat of arms and placed it on the label. It has appeared on every bottle produced at Rignana since.

From the atlas

Fattoria Rignana

At A Glance

EstateFattoria di Rignana
OwnerCosimo Gericke (Gericke family since 1965)
LocationHamlet of Rignana, western Panzano area, Greve in Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
VineyardsAround 14 hectares of a 120-hectare estate
Altitude300 to 400 metres
SoilsGalestro (calcareous, stony, clay-bearing)
Grape varietiesSangiovese, Canaiolo, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
FarmingOrganic certified
RangeChianti Classico DOCG (three tiers), Toscana IGT

The Producer

Cosimo Gericke runs an organic estate from a hamlet that barely appears on most Chianti Classico maps. Rignana sits at the western edge of the Panzano area, on a ridge that looks away from the famous Conca d'Oro amphitheatre rather than into it. The Gericke family has been here since 1965 and Cosimo is the current owner, farming around 14 hectares of vine within a 120-hectare property of woods, olive groves, and open land.

The estate is not trying to be anything other than what the place and the soil allow. Sangiovese is the central grape; Canaiolo, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot each have a role. All wines come from estate fruit. Every bottle carries a hedgehog on the label, borrowed from the coat of arms of a Jansenist bishop who died in exile on this land in 1810 and left his emblem behind.

Place

Rignana is administratively part of the Greve in Chianti commune, within the broader Chianti Classico DOCG zone. The hamlet sits at the western perimeter of the Panzano subzone, close to where the Panzano hills give way to the terrain stretching toward Barberino Tavarnelle. It is not the most prominent address in the zone, but the altitude and aspect compensate for the lack of famous neighbours.

Vineyards run from 300 to 400 metres above sea level. At that height in Chianti Classico, summer heat is tempered enough to extend the growing season and let Sangiovese retain its acidity rather than pushing toward overripe, jammy fruit. The label Chianti Classico DOCG places these wines inside one of Italy's most codified appellations, requiring Sangiovese as the primary grape and setting minimum ageing periods that rise from Classico to Riserva to Gran Selezione.

Soil And Site

Galestro is the defining soil here. It is the calcareous, crumbling limestone-and-clay schist that runs through much of the Chianti Classico mid-zone, and at Rignana it sits at the upper end of the Panzano altitude band. The stone breaks up freely and drains well, which means vine roots have to go deep for water and the canopy above stays dry. Sangiovese grown on Galestro at this altitude tends toward firm tannins, bright acidity, and red-cherry fruit rather than the denser, plummier character that comes from heavier clay at lower elevations.

The vineyards face southeast to southwest, capturing morning sun early and holding it through the afternoon. Combined with altitude-driven cool nights, the aspect produces even ripening without sacrificing freshness in the finished wine.

Story

The Gericke family bought the Rignana property in 1965. For decades the estate produced wine alongside the other agricultural activities that fill most of the 120 hectares: woodland, olives, and grazing land. The shift toward certified organic viticulture came under Cosimo's ownership. The estate reports adopting organic cultivation in 2011; the Unione Viticoltori di Panzano, the local growers' body, places the certification from 2014. Either way, the commitment has deepened since. In 2020, Cosimo began alternating cultivated vine rows with rows sown to sainfoin, a nitrogen-fixing legume that rebuilds soil fertility and draws insects and birds back into the vineyard. Fertilisation relies on buried organic manure and green manure from field bean rather than synthetic inputs. The cellar follows the same discipline: interventions are kept to a minimum, within the boundaries of organic production.

The direction is unhurried. Rignana has no ambition to accelerate into a different kind of estate. The single-vineyard Gran Selezione from Le Villane, a named cru parcel within the estate, is the ceiling of the range rather than a pivot toward international style.

Vineyards And Cellar

Around 14 hectares of vines grow on Galestro soils between 300 and 400 metres, with southeast-to-southwest exposure. Vine density and clone selection were made to suit the site. Since 2020, every other row is sown with sainfoin rather than left bare or cultivated: the legume fixes atmospheric nitrogen, loosens the soil with its roots, and supports ground-nesting insects. No herbicides or insecticides are used. Soil fertility comes from buried organic manure and field-bean green manure.

In the cellar, the philosophy mirrors the vineyard: minimum intervention within organic parameters.

Wines

The range runs across three Chianti Classico DOCG tiers and one IGT wine, all from estate fruit.

The Chianti Classico DOCG blends Sangiovese with Canaiolo. The 2023 release confirmed this combination; Canaiolo adds a softening note to Sangiovese's firmer tannin backbone, and the wine shows red berries, undergrowth, grip, a vegetal element, and wild strawberry on the finish.

The Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG pushes further into the structural range. Longer ageing means the tannins are more integrated but still firm, and the aromatic character is more developed. The tannins are more integrated and the aromatic character more developed than the Classico.

The Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG, labelled Panzano, comes entirely from the Le Villane parcel, a named cru within the estate. One hundred percent Sangiovese. The single-vineyard concentration adds mineral depth and spice alongside the red fruit, and the wine carries the weight and complexity the DOCG's top tier is meant to express.

Il Riccio Toscana IGT sits outside the Chianti Classico hierarchy: it is currently 100% Cabernet Franc, fruity and firmly built, named for the estate hedgehog emblem. The character is quite different from the Sangiovese core of the DOCG range.

In The Glass

The Sangiovese-Canaiolo combination in the Classico opens with red and dark cherry, a lift of violet, and a hint of dried herb. In the mouth, the tannins are firm without being angular, and the acidity is lively enough to cut through food and leave the palate clean. The Galestro soils and the altitude together keep the fruit from turning heavy or overripe; there is a freshness running through the wine, with red berries, undergrowth, grip, a vegetal element, and wild strawberry on the finish.

The Riserva deepens that character: the same red-fruit and floral core, but with more aromatic complexity on the nose and a longer, more structured finish where the tannin has had time to settle into the wine rather than standing out from it.

The Gran Selezione from Le Villane adds a mineral register that sits underneath the fruit. Single-vineyard Sangiovese at this altitude produces something tighter and more concentrated than the Classico blend, with spice and a savoury quality that lengthens the finish considerably.

Il Riccio reads on entirely different terms. Cabernet Franc has a cooler, leafier aromatic profile and a firmer, more linear tannin than Sangiovese. The fruit is ripe without being heavy, the acidity is present, and the wine has an elegance and works well alongside the Chianti Classico range without overlapping with it.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the Chianti Classico DOCG. It is a Sangiovese-Canaiolo blend grown on Galestro at altitude, organically farmed, and made with minimum cellar intervention. The wine shows exactly what this estate is: cool-site Sangiovese with honest tannin, bright acidity, dark cherry and violet on the nose, and enough substance to sit at the table for the whole meal. The Canaiolo softens the edges without flattening the character. There is nothing here that needs explanation or waiting for; open it with food and drink it while it is fresh.

Anecdote

Scipione de' Ricci was Bishop of Prato and Pistoia from 1780 to 1791, a Jansenist reformer whose attempts to push the Church toward simpler liturgy and lay authority made him powerful enemies within the Italian hierarchy. When Rome moved against him, Ricci capitulated under pressure and resigned his see. He was sent to Rignana. The bishop spent his remaining years on the estate, far from the councils and correspondence that had shaped his life, and died there in 1810. His coat of arms showed a hedgehog. Two centuries later, when the Gericke family bottled wine from the estate's vines, they took the hedgehog from the old coat of arms and put it on the label. It has appeared on every bottle produced at Rignana since.

Final Word

Fattoria Rignana is a small, quietly run organic estate on the western edge of Panzano, making Sangiovese-led Chianti Classico from Galestro soils and altitude that keep the wines fresh and food-friendly. The hedgehog on every label is the most visible sign of how long this particular patch of Tuscany has accumulated its own particular history.

Sources

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