Fuligni

Fuligni was founded in 1923 by the Fuligni viscounts, an ancient Venetian family who moved to Tuscany around 1770. The present owner is the exquisite Maria Flora Fuligni, who works side by side with her nephew Roberto Guerrini Fuligni and enologist Paolo Vagaggini.

THE HISTORY

The aristocratic Fuligni family goes back to the times of ancient Venice, later moving to England in the 14th Century, where it received favors and honors from the Crown. When the House of Habsburg-Lorraine took over the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Luigi Fuligni left England to move to the region and serve as a general for the new rulers around 1770. Luigi Fuligni’s ancestor Giovanni Maria Fuligni moved to Montalcino in the early 1900s, where he started to produce wine, as his family had done before him on their land in the Maremma region, mainly near Scansano.

The Fuligni Estate covers approximately 100 fully cultivated hectares on the eastern side of Montalcino where, historically, the most authentic Brunellos have come to life. There are other vineyards, which focus on Rosso di Montalcino and IGT wines, located around Villa San Giovanni a Semini. The property here dates back to the 17th century and is an agriturismo today. Since Giovanni Maria Fuligni’s death in 1971, the winery has been headed up by his daughter Maria Flora, a true woman of wine. She has always managed this land with the same passion of her ancestors.

Women have always played an important role in the family’s winemaking traditions. Before Maria Flora, Countess Matilde Armelani De’ Vanni managed the vast area of farmland in Maremma until her death in 1936. Today, Daniela Perino assists Maria Flora as her right-hand in terms of overseeing every aspect of the winery’s business.

THE TERROIR
The property covers approximately 247 acres east of Montalcino, historically the home to the most classic of Brunellos. The surface comprises almost 30-32 acres under vine, principally located at I Cottimelli. Most of these acres are devoted to Montalcino’s own Sangiovese while the rest is planted with Merlot, which complements the SJ blend. The older vineyards are 1,250-1,480 feet above sea level, mainly east and southeast facing, with galestro marl, sand and gravel.
The most recent vineyards have been planted on clay and tuff soil.