The Sala’s history dates back to 1260. It was under the name of Grande Terra Murata, owned by the Giandonati noble family. At the beginning of the 15th century, the land was sold theAcciaiuoli, in 1534 to the Grand Duke of Tuscany Alessandro De’Medici and finally to the Corsini family. Between 1981 and 2014, the property was owned by LauraBaronti, who together with Gabriella Tani, the oenologist, helped La Sala to become one of the most prominent wine companies of the Chianti Classico. In 2014 Francesco Rossi Ferrini makes a dream come true by creating wine and olive oil of superior quality in the beautiful area of San Casciano Val di Pesa in Tuscany. He already owned the Il Torriano farm – now also a beautiful farm stay – with its renowned Merlot and Sangiovese vineyards. The new estate has several fields at different altitudes and types of sun exposure; this guarantees excellent harvests even in toughest years. Today, over 70 hectares (173 acres), belong to La Sala, of which 32 (79 acres) are dedicated to vines, 27.6 (68 acres) of these are part of the Chianti Classico. The vineyards have altitudes between 150 and 350 meters above sea level. In recent years, important investments have been made on the company, the winery and the vineyards have been modernised and upgraded to enhance the product and the brand.

The area and vineyards

The Torriano agricultural holdings is made of two separate entities. Il Torriano is located near the small village of Montefirdolfi, and La Sala near Sorripa. Both are part of the San Casciano Val di Pesa local authority. Both Il Torriano and La Sala are at the very north of the Chianti Classico area. In this geographical area, the land is quite homogeneous, deep, clay-rich and with an alluvial soil. Rocks are mostly made of limescale with a cone like fracture dating back to the eocenic age. These are commonly called Alberese. Vineyards belonging to La Sala are on gentle and well exposed hills. Altitudes vary between 150 and 220 meters above sea level. Soil texture level is quite fine. The Torriano vineyards are on the Montefirdolfi hillside which is renowned for the quality of its wine. Altitudes vary between 250 and 350 meters above sea level. Soil is slightly reddish and with a higher concentration of clay. Thanks to these different characteristics, the vineyards of La Sala produce a wine which is elegant and fresh while those of Il Torriano are more structured and with an intense colour. The reciprocity of these two different microclimates creates wines which have a strong territorial identity and balance even when there large differences between years.