10/22/26 - 

Featuring I Fabbri, Fiore e Figlie, Castellaccio, Monteraponi, Caparsa & Monte Bernardi

Today we are peering into the kaleidoscope that is Chianti Classico. Sangiovese can be citrusy and fresh, ethereal and expressive, savory and salty, or plump and rich. Here at Chambers Street, we love all these styles and have a wide variety for you to choose from across 5 top growers in Lamole and Radda. We are particularly excited to present Jurij Fiore's wines which are new to the NY market this week.

Lamole: Sangiovese in the Sky

Lamole is the highest and smallest village in Chianti Classico with a mountain-like microclimate. We are thrilled to have on offer today 3 of the 8 growers in Lamole: I Fabbri, Castellaccio, and Jurji Fiore. Susanna Grassi of I Fabbri (photoed above with her son) tells me that there are only 88 people currently living in Lamole- what a special place! In decades past, vineyards at soaring elevations where not coveted, but Susanna believed in the terroir of Lamole so much that she left her career in fashion behind to revive the family vines and cellar. Fast forward 25 years, the combination of consumer preferences shifting towards more delicate and bright wines as well as a warming climate has made Lamole prime territory for crafting elegant Sangiovese. The soil here is sandier compared to the rest of Chianti Classico, ushering in finer structures and expressive aromas. We are excited to present fresh vintages from I Fabbri today including 2023 Chianti Classico Terra di Lamole, 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva, 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, and 2023 Casole Rose.

With only 8 growers in Lamole, seeing a new producer stateside is incredibly special. When we heard that our friend and Italian wine expert, Jan D'Amore, was now importing Jurij Fiore, we tasted as quickly as we could! Jurij left his father's estate, Poggio Scalette, in the 90's to train in the Cote d'Or. After gaining a deeper appreciation for site specificity, he was inspired to bring fresh ideas to Chianti but now peering at Lamole on the other side of the valley. He would spend 10 years snapping up micro-parcels before bottling his own organic wines in 2015. His 2024 Chianti Classico Sonocosi' A Lamole is a mix of 30-60 year old vines planted to sandy soils at 600 meters. Jurij destems his Sangiovese and ages it in concrete for 10 months before bottling. This wine is a stunner! It shows the power and concentration of Sangiovese but with a delicate, breezy quality and bright acidity. Pomegranate, blood orange, raspberry, purple flowers, and almond skins in the finish. There's also a small amount of his sole white wine, 2024 Alta Valle della Greve Lassu' A Lamole. This is a field blend of Trebbiano, Famoso, and Chardonnay, fermented as whole clusters before aging in a mix of old oak, new oak, and steel. Before even knowing that Jurij had worked in Burgundy, this wine reminded us of Aligote. It has a tingly lemon, lime acidity and great texture.

From Davide Bottai of Castellaccio we have 2024 Lennino, an homage to the Chianti's of the 19th and 20th centuries when white grapes played a valuable role in the blend. Since this practice was banned by the consortium in 2005, Davide decided to continue making one wine in his lineup of high-elevation "Mountain Sangiovese" the old-fashioned way even though he cannot write Chianti on the label. Here at Chambers, we respect winemakers with an uncompromising vision, whether it fits into the rules of a consortium or not! Coming in at a cool 11.5% alcohol with a shining ruby color, it has tons of tart cherry, cranberry, rose hips, spice, and a savory salumi note in a light frame. We feel this wine is showing particularly well right now, so grab a bottle or three to see what Chianti might have tasted like 100 years ago!

Radda’s Resplendent Reds

I was at a tasting where Monteraponi's 2023 Chianti Classico was sitting in a lineup with some much more expensive wines. I found myself constantly going back to it, amazed by the complexity. First dried strawberry and cherry, then potpourri, then incense, dried lavender, licorice and a very umami, salty finish. Later I learned that proprietors Michele Braganti and Alessandra Deiana decided to blend all of their parcels into this one wine in 2023, including their oldest vines and best expositions! Monteraponi's vineyards cap at about 560 meters of elevation in the southern end of Radda. Everything sees organic farming, hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation, and multiple rackings to achieve transparency and focus. Because of the distinctly salty, savory finish on this wine, it would pair well with fatty, rich cuts of meat or even a tomato based seafood stew.

Caparsa is crafting some of the most age worthy wines in Chianti Classico. Their style is certainly more robust with blacker fruits and richer textures, but the wines feel in total equilibrium. We can thank Paolo Cianferoni's strict organic farming and old vines for maintaining this vibrancy in the glass. Paolo is the second generation to run Caparsa after growing up in the vines as did his children: Federico, Filippo, Fiamma, Flavio & Francesco! Today we have 2022 Chianti Classico, 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Caparsino, and 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva Doccio a Matteo. It would be very clever to stash some bottles away in your collection since these can age for decades, but we also find the wines charming and energetic now, too. Cheers to sipping Chianti all fall and winter!

-Marisa Licandro

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