Summary
Poliziano in Montepulciano is one of the estates that re-established the reputation of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano over the past four decades. What began in 1961 with 22 hectares today covers around 170 hectares of vineyard across several Tuscan zones. The estate's name recalls the humanist Angelo Ambrogini, known as "Il Poliziano", who came from Montepulciano. The Carletti family's stylistic signature combines the fine-grained structure of Sangiovese – here called Prugnolo Gentile – with precise, modern cellar work. Above all, the house became famous for its single-vineyard cru Asinone.
History
The story begins in 1961, when Dino Carletti bought a first nucleus of about 22 hectares of vineyard in Montepulciano. At first it was a project born of attachment to his home: a farmer investing in the winegrowing tradition of his area, long before Vino Nobile was in international demand.
The decisive step came with the second generation. Federico Carletti, the founder's son and a trained agronomist, took over management towards the end of the 1970s. He shifted the business consistently to estate-grown fruit, invested in vine selection, planting density and cellar technology, and began mapping the vineyards parcel by parcel. Out of this long terroir study came the first separate bottling of the Asinone site in 1983 – an unusual step for the appellation at the time.
In the 1990s the estate broadened its range with international varieties and expanded geographically: to Cortona, to Montefollonico and into the Maremma, where the Lohsa project around Magliano in Toscana was created. Since 2019 and 2021 respectively, Francesco and Maria Stella Carletti have brought the third generation into the business.
Location & Terroir
Montepulciano lies in south-eastern Tuscany, between the Val di Chiana and the Val d'Orcia, on a long ridge in the province of Siena. The estate's vineyards sit mostly at around 300 to 400 metres – high enough for cool nights that preserve aroma and freshness in Sangiovese, and sunny enough for full phenolic ripeness.
The soils of the zone are geologically mixed: sandy-clay deposits of marine origin, laced with limestone, pebbles and in places fossils. It was precisely this small-scale variation that prompted Federico Carletti's site research. Different parcels give noticeably different wines: some deliver perfume and finesse, others tannin and backbone.
The holdings outside Montepulciano widen this picture. In the Cortona DOC, Merlot ripens on warmer sites, while on the Tuscan coast in the Maremma the Lohsa wines are softer and more Mediterranean in character.
Style & Philosophy
Poliziano stands for a style that does not disown the tradition of Vino Nobile but interprets it with technical precision. The foundation is Prugnolo Gentile, the local Sangiovese clone, which gives the wine cherry fruit, fine herbal spice and a taut but never rough tannin. Depending on the wine it is complemented by small proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or the traditional local companion varieties of the zone.
In the cellar the estate relies on parcel-by-parcel vinification, temperature-controlled fermentation and a differentiated use of wood – large casks for freshness and structure, barriques where texture is wanted. The wines are meant to be dense and age-worthy without being masked by oak or extract.
In the vineyard the estate has moved noticeably in recent years: chemical weed control and insecticides have been abandoned, pruning follows the plant-health-focused Simonit&Sirch method, and since the 2021 vintage the wines have been certified organic.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is clearly tiered – from the straightforward Rosso to the single vineyards:
- Asinone – the estate's most famous cru, around twelve hectares; the name alludes to the shape of the slope, which recalls a donkey's back
- Le Caggiole – roughly 14 hectares at about 350 metres on the road from Montepulciano to Gracciano, recently also bottled under the new Pieve category of Vino Nobile
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG – the classic estate wine and calling card of the house
- Rosso di Montepulciano DOC – the younger, fruit-forward entry-level wine
- In Violas – Merlot from the Cortona DOC
- Lohsa and Mandrone di Lohsa – the wines from the Maremma around Magliano in Toscana
Awards
Poliziano is among the most consistent points-scorers of the appellation. The Asinone in particular is regularly singled out by the Italian wine press and has won the Tre Bicchieri of Gambero Rosso across several vintages; international tasters likewise rate the wine consistently at the top level. Anyone wanting to get to know the estate's style will find an affordable entry in the Rosso di Montepulciano – while the Asinone is the wine against which the appellation has measured itself for decades.