We are in Chianti exploring the world of Sangiovese, for Chianti is it’s historic heartland, the place where the greatest of Sangiovese wines are grown. Chianti is an appellation region which means there are strict rules governing everything from the yields in the vineyard, the length of time the wine must be matured in barrel, and the length of time the wine must be stored in the bottle before it is sold. Chianti Classico Reserva is the highest classification and must be stored in barrel for eighteen months and bottle for six, below Reserva is Chianti Classico which spends less time in oak and bottle and below that Toscana, Indicazione Geografica Tippa, which is both the lowest appellation and the appellation with the least constrictions, an important consideration which we will see latter.

On our first day in Chianti there was a wine festival in Panzano where we could taste the wines of the “Producers of Panzano in Chianti, who over the last 10 years have transformed their region into the first “organic viticultural” region in Europe under the system “biodistretto vitivinicolo” a grapegrowing system which deserves an entire post of itself. Eighteen producers were displaying their wines at the festival and while a number of wines were very good one was exceptional. Fattoria La Massa, “Carla 6” a 100 % Sangiovese grown at 360 metres above sea level on “galestro” soil, loose marl and limestone, which had spent fourteen months in French barrels. Curiously the wine was labelled Indicazione Geografica Tippa, the lowest of Tuscan appellations. I set out to investigate.

“Carla 6” is a modern interpretation of the Sangiovese grape, a feminine wine which while generous on the palate  does not have the big leathery tannins which are typical Chianti. I expected a modern winery but didn’t expect what I found. “Ferrari” winemaking, absolutely state of the art, the sort of equipment you only expect to see in a Premium Cru Bordeaux winery, two sets of triage tables, gravity feeding of must a machine for plunging the caps during fermentations and a barrel room full of either new one or two year old barrels. This is a winery which believes in fanatical attention to detail both in the vineyard and in the winery.

I take inspiration from “Carla 6” it tells me that Sangiovese can produce a great modern wine, rich, generous and complex. 3 Acre Vineyard will use this wine as our inspiration and our yardstick. Of course we don’t have a Ferrari winery to produce it but we do have the dedication to excellence and many years of experience to compensate and our small scale is actually a help as we can do by hand what La Massa has brought state of the art machinery to do. Looking forward to getting back into the vineyard and making my wines the equal of “Carla 6”.