The Sesta Estate is located in the southern part of the municipality of Montalcino between Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate, near the well-known Romanesque Abbey of Sant'Antimo, on a downward slope which inclines from 400 to 200 metres above sea level.

THE NAME

Clearly of Roman origin, "Sesta" derives from a "sesta" milestone where the Parish Church of Saint Mary of Sexta once stood along the ancient road from Roselle to Chiusi which was already an important Etruscan communication route. This is evidenced by the numerous archaeological findings along this road.

ORIGINS

In 714 the "Carta Aretina" counted the Pieve di Sesta among the parishes in the Diocese of Chiusi. It was then the subject of dispute between the Bishops of Siena and Arezzo in the following centuries. It is not known how long this Parish remained in operation, but it is likely that it ended shortly after nearby Valle Storcia was founded at the end of the VIII century and the rapid expansion of the Abbey of Sant'Antimo. All the land on the Sesta property surely became part of the holdings of the Abbey. The Sesta Estate was formed after the expansion of the Republic of Siena and the decline and subsequent suppression of the Abbey of Sant'Antimo in 1462 at the hands of Pope Pious II (the Siennese, Enea Silvio Piccolomini). During the period of Siennese expansion, Sesta came into the possession of the noble Tolomei family who built a chapel in honour of Saint Catherine of Siena. In 1850, the property passed into the hands of Felice and Giovanni Ciacci, two brothers from Castelnuovo dell'Abate.

The first bottles of Brunello from the Sesta Estate were produced by Giuseppe Ciacci, father of the current owner, Giovanni, in 1966, the year in which Brunello was first recognized as D.O.C. At the time, there were only twelve bottlers and, for this reason, the Sesta Estate is deemed as one of the historical estates in the territory of Montalcino.

In the last few years there have been several investments made at the estate. Among the most important is the expansion and restructuring of the vinification and ageing cellars which have increased in size from 300m2 to 1300m2. The barrels have been replaced with the purchase of thirty 30hl barrels, forty-two 20hl barrels and some barriques. In the vinification cellar there are new stainless-steel temperature-controlled vats with a new system to transfer the wine from the vinification cellar to the ageing cellar using a completely natural drop-system.

On request, the estate offers guided visits to the cellar where it is possible to see the historic cellar in addition to the new one, and ends in the tasting room where it is possible to taste wines in the company of the owners of the estate.