The origins of the Castle
Originally built to defend the area around it, like a watch tower over one of the Roman era’s main roads – Via Cassia Imperiale, built by Emperor Hadrian in 123 A.D. – today it is set deep in Chianti’s characteristic hills and forests, watching over its precious vineyard and olive grove heritage stretching out over the slopes of the Dudda valley, from Sugame pass to Lucolena and Mt. San Michele.
Its long L-shaped body, its characteristic tower in the centre of the façade, and its historic Guelph battlements conjure up beauty and history packed medieval castles for visitors.
The current building
The current Castle was built in the 16th century. The original medieval castle was sacked, burnt down and destroyed at the end of the 15th century, during one of the many wars fought at that time, together with the houses around it. Its walls were almost entirely dismantled with only the part overlooking the valley remaining, and still visible today, and partly supporting the subsequent building.
Restoration work
Restoration began thanks to the efforts of one of the Canigiani family members, the building’s then owner. It was then bought by the famous Pitti family, who owned it for a long period of time and used it as a country residence. From 1897 onwards, it is the property of the François family and the emblem of the company, one of Chianti Classico’s historical estates.
At the beginning of the last century Carlo François bought the property and transformed it from a country residence to an agricultural firm. From then on, Castello di Querceto began to carve out for itself a significant role in the Italian and international wine panorama. In 1924, the estate founded the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium.
Recent Developments
Around 80 years after Carlo François and his wife Elvira Colombini bought the estate, in 1978 their nephew Alessandro François and his wife Maria Antonietta Corsi decided to get involved in managing the company and take over control of it. This was the beginning of profound renovation, both structural and philosophical, with investments in both agriculture and transformation, producing the result that today Castello di Querceto’s wines are known in around fifty countries in five continents.
Today
In the 1990s their daughter and son, Lia and Simone, and later their spouses, Marco and Stefania, also joined the management team and are now a close-knit group successfully managing all company operations.
The modern estate
The company now owns around 200 hectares of land, of which 60 are vineyards, 6 olive groves and the rest chestnut groves and oak woods, all of which fits perfectly into the beautiful surrounding countryside, on the high hills which form part of the Chianti hill range on the north-eastern edge of the Chianti Classico region.
