Fontodi is one of the names that serious Chianti drinkers know before they arrive. The estate sits south of Panzano in the Conca d'Oro, the amphitheatre-shaped bowl of vineyards that gives this part of Chianti Classico its reputation for full, structured Sangiovese. It is a working winery rather than a museum piece, but the setting makes the appeal obvious.
Visits are for travellers who want to understand why Panzano matters in the wine world, not just taste a glass and move on. Fontodi has been run by the Manetti family since the late 1960s and is closely associated with organic farming and careful estate bottling; book ahead rather than assuming you can drop in.