Monte Antico
Monte Antico was founded in 1977 by Neil and Maria Empson as a tribute to Tuscany. Franco Bernabei, a longtime friend of the Empsons, is the winemaker and works with them to style the wine, which is a blend Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
THE HISTORY
Monte Antico, which means “ancient mountain”, is Neil and Maria Empson’s wholehearted tribute to Tuscany. Their forty years of passion and experience led them to create their own label along with their good friend Franco Bernabei, a master in Italian winemaking. Together, they have styled the quintessential Tuscan grape Sangiovese, highlighting all it has to offer and complementing it with just enough Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to bring it all together.
THE TERROIR
The grapes for this wine were grown in the areas of Maremma, Colline Pisane, and Colli Fiorentini. Soil types vary, but span from compact, very fine-textured limestone at 1,300-1,500 feet above sea level to a classic, clay and calcareous, rocky galestro around 1,300 feet above sea level, and go on to a clay, siliceous and calcareous soil at 820-990 feet above sea level. The finest grapes are harvested at their peak ripeness.
This balanced combination of geological diversity makes for the wine’s consistent excellence.