casa emma
Casa Emma Wine Estate is located in the heart of Chianti Classico, in San Donato in Poggio, at an altitude of 430 m. above sea level. The estate was founded in 1969, when Fiorella Lepri decided to buy the farm from the Florentine noblewoman Emma Bizzarri, keeping the name and historical roots of the estate. So far Casa Emma is owned by Bucalossi family and is characterized by a original location, surrounded by 28 hectares of vineyards and 1000 olive trees. Sangiovese together with Merlot, Ciliegiolo and black Malvasia grape dominate the valley, tinging it in Summer with a bright green and in Autumn with a romantic red yellow.
fiorella lepri
“I passed by there every day, even if I had to make another journey. The farm was surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and an immense expanse of gorse. The wealthy old owners had decided to abandon the property and to move to Florence.
My life is a rural life, my parents were farmers and I spent my youth in the countryside. I still remember the day I made that decision. My wish was there, the farm was just waiting for a strong and faithful woman to take care of it.
It was a Friday morning of September 26, 1969. I picked up the phone and called the old owners offering to buy the farm. I bought it without telling my husband and my family. “They will understand … I said to myself!” Since that Thursday, my wines have been tasted and appreciated all over the world.
Every day, we have opened our doors to welcome the many visitors who come for the first time or who return to visit us again, because Casa Emma is home, everyone’s home.”
Fiorella “Emma” Lepri
CLIMATE and land morphology
The area surrounding the estate has unique climatic condition, due to its proximity to the sea as the crow flies and the absence of natural barriers. The valley that hosts the estate has an amphitheater-like shape with a different microclimate than other sub-areas of Chianti Classico. In this natural amphitheater, weather fronts coming from the North usually stop at San Donato and they do not cross Colle di Pietracupa, while weather fronts coming from Siena remain trapped in Poggibonsi area. Consequently, the estate is characterized by little rainfall, compared to the surrounding area. Constant winds are a natural defense for the vines and they allows us not to exceed with treatments based on copper, thus safeguarding the soil.