Fonterenza (name of a local spring that flows from the hill under the estate main building) is one of the very few wineries in Montalcino that farm biodynamically. Francesca & Margherita Padovani decided in the late 1990’s to give up the busy life in Milan and move to their country estate where they had spent nearly all of their summers as children. The farm comprises of 4 ha of vineyards among pristine woods, protected by the nearby Mount Amiata and benefiting from marine currents. Soils are rich and varied, mostly the typical Tuscan marl “galestro”, clay and limestone. The vineyards are on the hills sloping down from Il Greppo towards Castelnuovo dell’Abate, standing at 420 to 450 metres above sea level, and bathed all day in sunlight. They are surrounded by thick woodlands that offer protection from the weather.  The local abundance of water is also vital in years of drought. Padovani sisters have always worked the land following inspired biodynamic methods, as well as doing the minimum, which takes the most skill, in the cellar to allow the wines to develop and bloom naturally into their best potential expressions. These are wines of soul, spirit and heart through and through.