Casina di Cornia is a small farm that rests on a rural twenty-four hectares in the rolling hills of Castellina Chianti (Siena) and was restored in 1979 by Antoine Luginbühl and his wife Francine Dufour. Around seven hectares of the estate are planted with the family’s vines, mostly Sangiovese, facing south toward the warming sun of Siena. Here the family a perfect climate with the benefit of complex soil combinations: clay and chalk (marl), slate (schist), and an abundance of stones dating back to the Miocene period. This became the perfect breeding ground for Antoine’s “political” stance to farm organically. He argues that through organic farming he can be free of the industrial production machine, one that maintains low prices while driving quantities ever higher. “This frees us from the money-lovers and keeps nature alive in the world.” His viticultural philosophy and winemaking are simple: Prune early for low yields, keep plenty of cover crop for heat protection and soil health, hand pick, spontaneously ferment, and filter lightly. It is in this way that Antoine can present to the world his land and the vintage as clearly as his political ideology.
For more information, please visit Casina di Cornia
