Tenuta Cantagallo Le Farnete

Two incredible pieces of history set on opposite sides of the same hill; this is the home of Dario and Enrico Pierazzuoli, winemakers and grape growers who have championed the causes of two of Tuscany's smallest and most charming DOGCs.

Set in Chianti Montalbano, Cantagallo (literally the singing cockerel) is home to bright red and juicy Chianti to dark and powerful Riservas, while the other side of the hill in Carmignano, the winery of Le Farnete gives structured wines blended with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, culminating in the mighty Carmignano Riserva, one of Italy's most consistent top-performing wines.

Both wineries are exclusively shipped by The Allotment and are really the sort of wine that we are all about: these wines represent the land clearly and with no fuss; they don't rely on winemaking wizardry or a special credo; they are honest and charming and are produced in quantities that are commensurate with the ability of each vintage. This doesn't exclude generosity or power, rather it allows the broader and richer wines to have the appropriate platform to shine - in context - with integrity and charm.

The estates also produce incredibly fine Extra Virgin Olive Oils, with Cantagallo achieving the highest level possible, bottling a Laudemio, the highest standard dating from Medieval times, reserved for the very best oils that were then reserved for the heads of the noble houses. Now it has its own Consortium and only the very finest producers (not all of them wineries by a long shot) are able to call their oils by its name. Laudemio comes from the Latin laude, to praise.