Silvia Badii is the owner and winemaker of Il Colle, located in the province of Florence, Tuscany, within one of the 11 distinct areas of Chianti Classico known as San Casciano, the largest and northernmost sub-region of the Chianti Classico production zone. With the help of technology, Silvia “walked” me around her estate during her most recent harvest where she explained her vision of producing quality Tuscan wines while building upon the foundation started by her father many years ago.
What is the history of Il Colle?
The Il Colle estate was acquired by my family in 1983. My father had been producing Chianti Classico in bulk for over 40 years, working with Sangiovese and other Tuscan native grapes. My father was beginning to age, and in 2018, I decided to branch off and produce and bottle wines myself, starting with the 2019 vintage. I repurposed part of the estate after the 2020 harvest, uprooting some of the vineyards and planting new ones, except the Sangiovese single vineyards on the estate that were planted in 2006.
What does Il Colle look like today under your leadership?
I have branched out beyond Sangiovese while also producing Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This harvest season, we harvested Merlot first, followed by Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon last. Last year was our first production of a Super Tuscan, which will be a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, that will be released in the next 1-2 years.
What is the pride and joy of Il Colle?
The top wines are the Il Colle Chianti Classico DOCG and Il Colle Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG known as 36 Filari, which translates to the 36 rows of vines that are grown in a single vineyard estate of Sangiovese.
What are your production quantities?
We currently produce around 5,000 bottles on 13 hectares of land, which is a combination of vineyards, forests, and olive groves. We also produce an extra virgin olive oil. We welcome your readers to visit our property in San Casciano to taste these wines, though we can also ship directly to North America.
