Family and Region
Ciao,
I’m Sandro Bandini, and L’Oliviera is the place where I grew up and where I continue to work every day, in Chianti Classico, in Vagliagli. The vineyards have always been part of my life: I started as a boy, following my father, and over the years I gradually took over the work myself, from the vineyard to the cellar, always trying to understand more deeply what happens from one season to the next.
L’Oliviera is a family-run agricultural estate in Chianti Classico, in an area where vineyards and olive groves shape both the landscape and everyday work. Here, the soil is drier, yields are naturally lower, and Sangiovese develops a deeper, less immediate character that needs time to express itself. This is where all our choices begin, because wine is born first and foremost in the vineyard.
I personally follow every stage throughout the year, because that is where quality is built. In the cellar, I guide the process without forcing it, allowing each vintage to maintain its own identity. The wines change, but they always remain recognizable and connected to this territory.
I produce Chianti Classico, Riserva and Gran Selezione, working with grapes that come directly from my vineyards here at L’Oliviera. The Gran Selezione comes from the best vineyards and follows a longer ageing process, while maintaining the same philosophy: respect for time, for the wine and for the place.
Alongside wine, we also produce extra virgin olive oil, right here, from our own olive groves. Tuscan olive oil has a very distinctive character: fresh aromas, herbal notes and a more intense structure with a subtle spicy finish. The olives are harvested while they are still green, in order to preserve their quality and freshness, and are processed quickly to retain all their natural properties. Here too, the approach is the same: careful work in the field and an essential, gentle process.
At L’Oliviera, our tastings are designed to take you into this work by starting from the real setting itself. You move from the vineyard to the cellar and then to the tasting, so that each wine becomes clearer because you have seen where it comes from. The experiences follow the rhythm of the seasons and the work taking place at that moment, always remaining consistent with what is actually happening here.
The agriturismo is an integral part of the estate and is experienced alongside the daily work. The day begins with a homemade breakfast, including the jams made by my mother Dina, and continues among the vineyards, the cellar and the Chianti Classico landscape.
If you stay for a few days, you can better immerse yourself in the rhythm and details of this place, and understand more clearly the work behind every bottle.
If you decide to come and visit us, you can see how we work up close and experience Chianti Classico for what it truly is.
See you soon,
Sandro
L’Oliviera is located in Vagliagli, in the southern part of Chianti Classico, just a few kilometres from Siena. A small medieval village surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and rolling hills, where the history of the Bandini family continues to intertwine with the work of the land.
From here, Siena, Castellina, Radda, Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Florence, San Gimignano and Volterra are all easily reached, following scenic roads that tell the story of an authentic Tuscany, shaped by agricultural landscapes, historic villages and a slower pace of life.
Staying at L’Oliviera means experiencing this balance: the tranquillity of the countryside, the proximity to places of art and culture, and the deep connection with a land that has accompanied the family for generations.
