Terroir Driven Chianti
1/30/26 -
Chianti Classico lies in the heart of Tuscany between Florence and Siena. Here Sangiovese reigns supreme, but with great variety due to the eleven sub regions each with their distinct terroir. Today we are featuring four Chianti growers: Montesecondo in San Casciano, Monte Berardi in Panzano, I Fabbri in Lamole, and Frascole in Radda.
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Montesecondo
At the Northern edge of the Chianti Classico zone, in the sub-zone of San Casciano in Val di Pesa, lives Silvio Messana and his family. Here they tend to about twelve hectares of Sangiovese, Colorino, and Canaiolo (and a bit of Cabernet and Trebbiano). The project started in the mid 90's when they left New York for the Tuscan countryside after inheriting his mother's land. He has two main sites, one warmer with more clay and the other cooler with more limestone. Today we have Silvio's Chianti Classico 2022 and Rosso Toscana 2022, both with his signature silky style and purity of fruit.
Monte Bernardi
Michael Schmelzer has run the winery organically and biodynamically since his family purchased the property in 2003. Located in the Panzano sub-region, the area has a long wine growing history. The vineyards, surrounded by dense forests, sit on southern-facing slopes, 350 meters above sea level and about 300 meters north of the Pesa River. The hills are rocky, composed of shale, sandstone, and limestone. All the wines show a wonderful heartiness, though not lacking freshness. Schmelzer has done more than anyone to lift the name of Panzano. To him, consumers should know the exact part of Chianti that the wine they're drinking comes from. He has referenced Burgundy, with its ultra site specific designations and tiered labeling, as a system suited for his own region. Monte Bernardi wines, and those of 18 other producers, now carry a marker that confirm their Panzano origin.
I Fabbri
Susanna Grassi is an 11th generation winemaker as her family has been in the region since the 1600’s as farmers and blacksmiths (I Fabbri means 'the blacksmiths in Italian.') The labels are unchanged since her great grandfather started commercializing the family’s winemaking in the 1920’s. She is farming her vines in the Lamole subregion of Chianti, which touches the elevation limit around 650 meters. The high elevation has a big effect on her wines, combined with the mostly South facing vineyards, low nighttime temperatures, and lots of sunlight during the day increases complexity in the wines. Poor sandy soils also force vines to reach deep into the earth. All of this is a perfect storm for terroir driven wines of depth and strong sense of place.
“Our approach is guided by the belief that only by protecting the land and embracing nature can we produce quality wines that showcase the unique characteristics of Chianti”
-Susanna Grassi
Frascole
Frascole is an in-store staple for all our Chianti lovers. It’s so friendly, with dark ripe cherry, a kiss of orange zest, and a silky texture. The tannins are really fine and well integrated and the finish is quite dry. They are one of 23 producers in Rufina, which is a sub region of Chianti in the foothills of the Apennine mountains producing elegant wines from a mix of limestone, clay, sandstone and marl soil.
I am excited to see the future of Chianti Classico as the region moves towards more site specificity!
-Marisa Licandro
