Giuseppe Maria Sesti and his wife Sarah bought the abandoned ruins of the hamlet and the castle of Argiano, slowly clearing the land and restoring the buildings, including the cellars, the plantings of olive groves, and the vineyards themselves. Giuseppe’s
Giuseppe Maria Sesti and his wife Sarah bought the abandoned ruins of the hamlet and the castle of Argiano, slowly clearing the land and restoring the buildings, including the cellars, the plantings of olive groves, and the vineyards themselves. Giuseppe’s study of both the classics and oral knowledge allowed him to re-evaluate the influence of the moon on the vines and in turn the making of the wine itself. He took a pioneering extra step by applying his prodigious knowledge of the moon’s influence on living things to his vineyard management and winemaking.
Giuseppe observed that simplicity and careful attention were the most important factors in producing great wines, while chemical intervention skewed their delicate balance; so he determined to make entirely natural wines right from the start, reducing the levels of sulphites used to the minimum. The estate consists of 102 hectares (254 acres) of land, of which nine hectares are planted to vineyards while the rest is given to olive groves, grazing or woodland.
The vineyards are in the enviable position of being on the southern slopes of Montalcino, where some of the most prestigious Brunello comes from. Today the family continues their thoroughly eco-friendly philosophy (although no official certification currently meets their personal standards).
