Podere Poggio Scalette

Set on the terraced slopes of the Ruffoli hill in the municipality of Greve in Chianti, the Podere Poggio Scalette winery takes its name from the stone walls that support the vineyard terraces. From a distance, these walls look like a staircase (in Italian, ‘scalette’) climbing up the slope of the Greve valley.

The estate is situated at an altitude of between 350 and 550 metres above sea level in the heart of the Chianti Classico DOCG zone and is home to one of the oldest surviving Sangiovese vineyards in Tuscany.

History

The estate had stood abandoned for many years following the death of the previous owner when Vittorio Fiore and his wife Adriana Assie di Marcora discovered it in 1991. Vittorio, one of Italy’s most experienced winemakers and a long-standing consultant to many leading Tuscan estates, purchased the land along with the old stone farmhouses, vineyards, olive groves and woods.

In 1996, a second 5-hectare plot became available, and they expanded their estate. He is now joined by his son Filippo, who is involved in viticulture and is continuing this project.

Vineyards and terroir

The centrepiece is a plot known as Il Carbonaione, the first 5 hectares purchased in 1991. When the Fiore family researched its history, they discovered that it was the first plot to be replanted in the area after the First World War, between 1915 and 1918, following the phylloxera epidemic that had destroyed most of Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century. The vines are over 80 years old and represent one of the rarest, perhaps the only surviving example of a vineyard of this age, consisting predominantly of the Sangiovese di Lamole clone, a distinctive member of the Sangiovese family grown in the Chianti Classico area.

In 1996, a second 5-hectare plot of Sangiovese was added, with vines dating from the 1960s and 1970s. Further planting meant that by 2007 the total area had reached around 15 hectares.

Grape varieties

Sangiovese dominates the estate. A small 0.5-hectare plot of Merlot, planted in 1996, is used to produce the Piantonaia wine. For the Capogatto wine, four rows each of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot were planted in 2004, with around 1,000 vines in each. A micro-plot of Chardonnay yields the grapes for the Richiari wine. Trebbiano from Il Carbonaione is blended with Chardonnay to produce Chiara Aurora, an IGT white wine.

Winemaking and wines

The flagship wine is Il Carbonaione, 100% Sangiovese di Lamole from the oldest vines, aged in French oak barriques. Chianti Classico, also 100% Sangiovese, is vinified in the same way as Il Carbonaione, but is aged in concrete tanks rather than in wood, which gives it a fresher character and allows it to be drunk sooner.

Piantonaia is a Merlot-based IGT. Capogatto is a Bordeaux-style IGT made from four small plots planted with international varieties. Richiari is a Chardonnay IGT, whilst Chiara Aurora is a white blend of Trebbiano and Chardonnay.