Sesti
Although he always enjoyed visiting vineyards and attending tastings, Giuseppe Maria “Giugi” Sesti did not initially choose a career in wine. Instead, his Venetian upbringing inspired him to study music, art, and astronomy, the last of which became his profession. He met his future wife in North Wales while writing his first book on this topic, and in 1975 Giugi and Sarah moved their family to Tuscany, where they bought the abandoned ruins of the hamlet and castle of Argiano, slowly clearing the land and restoring the buildings to create the breathtaking estate we see there today. Giugi was now a father of four, vice-director of a local Baroque opera festival, and actively writing books on astronomy, but he miraculously found spare time to visit local wineries and help his neighbors in the vineyards and cellar. His passion for wine grew along with his experience, and in 1991 he planted his own vineyards on the slopes around the castle. The children helped pick and stomp grapes from the earliest age, and though they, too, pursued international studies in various fields, they always managed to come home for the harvest. In 1999 the couple’s only daughter, Elisa, joined the estate full time, and today she is an active partner in all aspects of the vineyard management and winemaking.
While helping out at neighboring estates Giugi observed that simplicity and careful attention were the most important factors in producing great wines, while chemical intervention skewed their delicate balance; so he determined to make entirely natural wines right from the start. He even took a pioneering extra step by applying his prodigious knowledge of the moon’s influence on living things to his vineyard management and winemaking. Today the family continues this thoroughly eco-friendly philosophy (although no official certification currently meets their personal standards), and Elisa’s primary concern is the materia prima, or raw material, that goes into the wine. The Sesti lineup includes a white Sauvignon and a Sangiovese Rosato born directly of necessity, since the family wanted something light and cooling to drink under the hot summer sun; they were forced to increase production when visiting friends and clients tried these wines and started placing orders. But their basic trio—the Brunello, Brunello Riserva “Phenomena,” and Rosso di Montalcino—provides traditional expressions of the appellation, robust and powerful yet refreshing, with great aging potential in the Brunellos.

Although he always enjoyed visiting vineyards and attending tastings, Giuseppe Maria “Giugi” Sesti did not initially choose a career in wine. Instead, his Venetian upbringing inspired him to study music, art, and astronomy, the last of which became his profession. He met his future wife in North Wales while writing his first book on this topic, and in 1975 Giugi and Sarah moved their family to Tuscany, where they bought the abandoned ruins of the hamlet and castle of Argiano, slowly clearing the land and restoring the buildings to create the breathtaking estate we see there today. Giugi was now a father of four, vice-director of a local Baroque opera festival, and actively writing books on astronomy, but he miraculously found spare time to visit local wineries and help his neighbors in the vineyards and cellar. His passion for wine grew along with his experience, and in 1991 he planted his own vineyards on the slopes around the castle. The children helped pick and stomp grapes from the earliest age, and though they, too, pursued international studies in various fields, they always managed to come home for the harvest. In 1999 the couple’s only daughter, Elisa, joined the estate full time, and today she is an active partner in all aspects of the vineyard management and winemaking.
While helping out at neighboring estates Giugi observed that simplicity and careful attention were the most important factors in producing great wines, while chemical intervention skewed their delicate balance; so he determined to make entirely natural wines right from the start. He even took a pioneering extra step by applying his prodigious knowledge of the moon’s influence on living things to his vineyard management and winemaking. Today the family continues this thoroughly eco-friendly philosophy (although no official certification currently meets their personal standards), and Elisa’s primary concern is the materia prima, or raw material, that goes into the wine. The Sesti lineup includes a white Sauvignon and a Sangiovese Rosato born directly of necessity, since the family wanted something light and cooling to drink under the hot summer sun; they were forced to increase production when visiting friends and clients tried these wines and started placing orders. But their basic trio—the Brunello, Brunello Riserva “Phenomena,” and Rosso di Montalcino—provides traditional expressions of the appellation, robust and powerful yet refreshing, with great aging potential in the Brunellos.
Technical Information
Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Toscana IGT Sauvignon |
Sauvignon Blanc | 15 years | Oceanic Sediment | .5 ha |
Toscana IGT Rosato |
Sangiovese | 15 years | Oceanic Sediment | 3 ha total IGT |
Toscana IGT “Monteleccio” |
Sangiovese | 15 years | Oceanic Sediment | 3 ha total IGT |
Toscana IGT “Castello Sesti” |
60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon | 20 years | Oceanic Sediment | 3 ha total IGT |
Rosso di Montalcino |
Sangiovese | 15 years | Oceanic Sediment | 2 ha |
Brunello di Montalcino |
Sangiovese | 20 years | Oceanic Sediment | 3.9 ha total Brunello |
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Phenomena” |
Sangiovese | 20 years | Oceanic Sediment | 3.9 ha total Brunello |
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres |
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
• Vines are sustainably farmed, the equivalent of lutte raisonnée in France.
• South-facing vineyards at 350m altitude
• Spurred Cordon training
• Vinification in stainless steel for all wines
Toscana IGT Sauvignon and Toscana IGT Rosato:
• 5,400 vines per hectare
• Yield: 8 metric tons per hectare
• Rosato made by saignée method• Does not go through malolactic fermentation
• Typically the Sauvignon and Rosato do not go through malolactic fermentation. The 2015 Rosato completed malolactic.
Toscana IGT “Monteleccio”:
• 5,400 vines per hectare
• Yield: 9 metric tons per hectare
• One year of élevage in 30-hectoliter oak botti
• The name of this wine is an Italian version of the Latin name “Montalcino,” meaning “hill of the holm oaks.”
Toscana IGT “Castello Sesti”:
• 5,400 vines per hectare
• Yield: 8 metric tons per hectare
• Unfiltered and unfined
• This wine qualifies for the Sant’Antimo DOC and was previously sold under that appellation. The Sestis first sold it as an IGT with the 2006 vintage.
• Blend for 2006 vintage was 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet SauvignonRosso di Montalcino:
• 5,300 vines per hectare
• Yield: 8 metric tons per hectare
• Eighteen months of élevage in 30-hectoliter oak botti
• Unfiltered and unfined
• Two months of bottle aging before release
Brunello di Montalcino:
• 5,400 vines per hectare
• Yield: 8 metric tons per hectare
• Thirty-nine months of élevage in 30-hectoliter oak botti
• Unfiltered and unfined
• One year of bottle aging before release
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Phenomena”:
• 5,200 vines per hectare
• Yield: 7.5 metric tons per hectare
• Fifty-one months of élevage in 30-hectoliter oak botti
• Unfiltered and unfined
• One year of bottle aging before release
MISCELLANEA
Aging Requirements: Brunello & Brunello Riserva
Brunello & Brunello Riserva have the same minimum oak aging requirement of 2 years
Bottle aging minimum requirement:
• Brunello: 4 months
• Brunello Riserva: 6 months
Sales date:
• Brunello: 5 years after year of harvest
• Brunello Riserva: 6 years after year of harvest
• Producers determine how long they age the wine in oak vs. bottle
Brunello & Brunello Riserva have the same minimum oak aging requirement of 2 years
Bottle aging minimum requirement:
• Brunello: 4 months
• Brunello Riserva: 6 months
Sales date:
• Brunello: 5 years after year of harvest
• Brunello Riserva: 6 years after year of harvest
• Producers determine how long they age the wine in oak vs. bottle
General Information
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Tuscany
- Appellation(s)
- Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, Toscana IGT
- Producer
- Giuseppe Maria Sesti
- Founded
- 1987
- Annual Production
- 5,000 cases