Request a Quote

Badia a Passignano Winery Guide

Cellar Tours Insight — Since 2003, Cellar Tours has planned private wine journeys through the world’s leading wine regions, pairing tailor-made itineraries with VIP winery visits, fine dining, and expert regional guidance.

Winery Overview

The enticing blend of history, culture, and gastronomy at Badia a Passignano is a perfect example of why Tuscany endures as a favorite destination for food and wine connoisseurs. This Antinori-owned winery, a rolling estate tucked into the heart of Chianti Classico, is as well-loved for its fascinating historical setting as for its luscious Chianti Classico Riserva di Badia a Passignano wine.

The 215-hectare estate encircles a beautiful ancient abbey still owned by the Vallombrosian monks. Although the year of its founding is unclear – some historians claim the year 395, while others push it back to 891 – there is no doubt that the Abbey played a vital role in Tuscan winemaking throughout the last millennium. Even in ancient times, the Vallombrosians were known for their scholarship and winemaking expertise; the order reached a pinnacle of power in the Middle Ages when it owned nearly a quarter of Tuscany. Although Badia a Passignano was sacked and burned in the 12th and 13th centuries, it was later rebuilt and, by the 1500s, had gained fame for being a center of science and learning. Galileo Galilei taught mathematics here in 1587, and the monks were great students of literature and music, amassing impressive libraries that still exist today. For centuries, this progressive monastic community cultivated the land and cared for the vineyards. A fascinating link to the area’s long winemaking history came with the 1983 discovery of a thousand-year-old vine near the estate.

Today, as in ages past, the wine made here is aged in the vast cellars that run beneath the Abbey. Bought in 1987 by the esteemed Antinori winemaking family (now in its 26th generation of vintners), the estate produces a single wine: Chianti Classico Riserva di Badia a Passignano.

 

Private Tuscany Wine Tour

Tuscany Wine Tour

Embark on a curated Tuscan wine tour: a week of exclusive wine tastings, gourmet feasts, and private chauffeur-driven exploration. Limited availability!

View Itinerary

Further Reading

Author

Avatar photo

Genevieve Mc Carthy

Genevieve, originally from San Diego, California, has spent the last 25 years living in Europe, primarily in Spain, Ireland, and Italy. She has a background in the wine industry, having worked for a top wine importer in Ireland and a prestigious winery in Italy's Franciacorta region. In 2003, Genevieve founded Cellar Tours, a boutique wine tours company based in Madrid, Spain. She holds wine education credentials from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in London and has a strong network within the European wine industry. Genevieve's specializes in organizing VIP tours to exclusive wineries that are not accessible to the general public. With a passion for food and wine, fluency in multiple languages, and expertise in luxury travel and tourism, Genevieve has built a successful career in creating unique wine experiences.

Read more

Private wine travel experts, recommended by leading travel publications

  • National Geographic
  • Condé Nast Traveler
  • Travel + Leisure
  • Frommer's
  • Forbes Travel Guide