Vin Riecine

Church archives from 1112 A.D. provide the earliest known record of the wine farm known as Riecine. A nearby monastery owned the land from that date into the 20th century. Close to excavations of an Etruscan township, it is possible that wine has been produced at Riecine for thousands of years. In 1971, John Dunkley, a British businessman, and his Italian wife, Palmina Abbagnano-Dunkley, purchased the land from the Badia a Coltibuono and founded the Riecine label. They restored the old stone villa on the land and began reviving and replanting vines. The first vintage of Chianti Classico, 1973, was released in 1975 to a flourish of praise. A close friend of John and Palmina, the winemaker Carlo Ferrini, played a key role in the birth and growth of Riecine wines, lending his advice and professionalism to Riecine until 1997. In 1991, John, Palmina and Carlo, hired as an intern a young winemaker, Sean O’Callaghan, who began to join the team as an internal Riecine winemaker, to become later one of the interpeter of Riecine’s style. The Riecine property is now a family with strong ties in the world of wine, very motivated and totally focused on quality. 100% Sangiovese-based Chianti Classico is still the flagship of the Riecine production.