2026-06-15
Vallepicciola, a wine estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga in the Chianti Classico area of Tuscany, said Monday that it has changed its leadership structure and expanded its partnership with the Balan family, a move the company says is meant to support long-term growth in both wine production and distribution.
The estate named Hee Soo Bolfo as chairwoman, placing her in direct charge of representing the ownership and overseeing the long-term direction of the Bolfo family’s investment in the business. Nicola Vercellotti was appointed chief executive officer and will be responsible for overall management of the company and for carrying out its industrial plan across the group.
Vallepicciola also named Gaia Cinnirella as general manager. Cinnirella, 34, joins from Ornellaia e Masseto, where she worked as cellar master and winemaker for Masseto. Before that, she served as head of vineyards and assistant technical director at Biondi-Santi’s Tenuta Il Greppo. The company said she holds a double degree in viticulture and enology from the University of Milan. It also noted that Fortune Italia included her on its 40 Under 40 list as a wine industry leader.
The new management team will continue to work with Alessandro Cellai, who remains a strategic adviser to the Bolfo family on winemaking. According to the company, his role is intended to provide continuity on both commercial and enological matters as Vallepicciola moves into its next phase.
The governance changes were announced alongside a broader commitment to Distribuzione Balan, the Italian premium wine distributor run by Daniele and Fabio Balan. Vallepicciola said the partnership with the Balan family will deepen, while the distributor will continue to operate independently as a multibrand business. Daniele and Fabio Balan will keep control over commercial strategy, portfolio selection and relationships with wineries and the sales agent network.
The two families have committed more than €3 million in fresh capital to support that effort. Vallepicciola said the money will be used to strengthen distribution capacity and maintain service levels for clients, agents and producers represented by Distribuzione Balan.
Under the new arrangement, the Bolfo family and Vallepicciola’s management will take a direct role in Balan’s governance. At the same time, the company said it intends to preserve the distributor’s independent identity in the Italian market, where multibrand operators play an important role in placing premium wines across restaurants, hotels and other hospitality accounts.
In a statement released by the company, Ms. Bolfo said the appointments mark a new chapter for Vallepicciola and pointed to Cinnirella’s arrival as part of a broader effort to build future leadership. She also said that strengthening ties with the Balan family should improve the estate’s reach in the HORECA channel, shorthand for hotels, restaurants and catering businesses.
The announcement comes at a time when many Italian wine companies are reassessing how they manage production, branding and route-to-market strategies as competition grows at home and abroad. For estates in Chianti Classico, distribution partnerships can be as important as vineyard investments, especially in premium segments where restaurant placement remains central to visibility and sales.
Vallepicciola has built its reputation as one of the notable estates in Castelnuovo Berardenga, on the southern side of Chianti Classico, an area known for Sangiovese-based wines and for attracting investment from families seeking to combine agricultural production with hospitality and international brand development. Monday’s announcement suggests that Vallepicciola is trying to tighten control over both sides of that equation: internal management at the estate and external access to buyers through an established distribution platform.
The company did not disclose further financial details beyond the capital commitment or say whether additional operational changes are planned. It framed the appointments and partnership expansion as part of a strategy to reinforce continuity, improve commercial execution and support future growth in Italy’s premium wine market.