Montecalvi

When a winemaker couple from the Collalto winery in the Adelaide Hills in Australia and an English oenologist work together to restore one of the oldest vineyards in Tuscany in Chianti Classico, the result can only be a remarkably good wine. "Montecalvi was love at first sight," Australian winemaker Jim Drake tells us in conversation. The winery is located in the municipality of Greve in Chianti, in the heart of Tuscany, where everything revolves around the Sangiovese grape variety.

Montecalvi was founded in 1989 by the Anglo-Italian Bolli family and has received a number of notable awards over many years, including Tre Bicchieri in Gambero Rosso. The success story continued in 2017 under Jim's leadership, who has focused on sustainable viticulture and traditional Tuscan grape varieties such as Sangiovese without exception in the restoration of the vineyards.

On sandstone and clay soils, the vines are farmed organically with a southern exposure on the rolling hills of Tuscany. Two and a half hectares of vineyards are planted with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and the autochthonous varieties Ciliegiolo and Canaiolo. Jim Drake sees the tranquil cultivation area as a decided advantage and explains: "We know our vineyards like the back of our hand, which allows us to take the best possible care of each individual vine, row by row, vine by vine and grape by grape."

With dedication and care, he and his British oenologist Tim Manning have been creating extraordinary wines for several years. Most of the production is dedicated to Chianti Classico, which has been the main protagonist at the Montecalvi winery since the beginning. The Australian-born winemaker explains: "Chianti Classico is the beating heart of the farm, because Sangiovese is one of the few grape varieties that can be used to produce wines with limitless complexity and elegance." Tim's many years of experience and artistry give each wine and vintage a special polish that makes the merits of this wonderful growing zone even more apparent.

The red wine VV owes its name to a special single vineyard, namely that of the "Terrazze Vigne Vecchie": a vineyard that is possibly one of the oldest in Tuscany, planted in 1932 on dry stone terraces and carefully restored in 2017. Montecalvi's wine selection lives up to its reputation and is completed with, among others, a Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard San Piero and an exceptional Vermentino, the only white wine of the house, made from purchased and carefully selected grapes.  SUPERIORE.DE

"Oenologist Tim Manning manages to achieve a special level of finesse and silkiness that now sets his wines apart from virtually all others produced in Chianti Classico. Manning makes some of the most balanced, harmonious wines in Tuscany, in a style that favours a fairly rich expression of fruit. When completed, the wines are reminiscent of the great Pinots with a weightless and effortless harmony. Simply put, I cannot recommend these wines highly enough." VINOUS