Carmignano, historic central Italian red wine made 16 km/10 miles north west of Florence in a zone noted as one of tuscany’s finest for red wine production since the Middle Ages. The vineyards are located on a series of low hills between 50 and 200 m (160–650 ft) above sea level, unusually low for the sangiovese grape, which forms the base of the blend and gives wines with lower acidity and softer tannins than the wines of chianti classico.
The wines were first given legal status by Cosimo III de’Medici—himself a major proprietor in the Carmignano zone at the villa of Artimino—who included them in his selection of four areas of superior wine production in an edict of 1716 which prohibited other wines from using the names of the selected areas. The grand-ducal wines were sent regularly to Queen Anne of England, who apparently appreciated their quality. The wines were also praised by Giovanni Cosimo Villifranchi (1773) and Cosimo Ridolfi (1831).
