After studying and training in Burgundy in the mid-nineties, Jurji Fiore started working at his father’s estate in Greve in Chianti, Poggio Scalette. While there, he became enamored with the idyllic isolation, light and air of Lamole, just across the valley. Inspired by the belief in the potential of the area, he began renting and eventually buying small plots in Lamole and in 2015 bottled his first wines. He now organically farms 3 and ½ hectares of vines.
Being the highest point in the Chianti Classico appellation, Lamole has traditionally been considered too cool to produce substantially ripe Sangiovese, and during the 80’s and 90’s, when the public enjoyed fuller bodied, darker reds, the area was mostly abandoned and the town of Lamole itself went from a thousand inhabitants to just 80, which is its current population.
As the temperatures have risen, winemakers have recognized the intrinsic value of Lamole’s cooler vineyard sites, and a few established estates have purchased plots of old alberello-trained bush vines and begun restoring the landscape.
Most vineyards in this Greve sub-appellation lie 500 to 650 meters above sea level (about 1,800 feet). The soil is predominantly grey sandstone and has the appearance of beige shards – shard translates in “lama” in Italian, possibly the origin of the town’s name, Lamole. The mountain-like microclimate allows for slow ripening, and the grapes are usually harvested several days later than in most of Chianti Classico.
Jurij produces the Chianti Classico Sonocosi’ a Lamole – this is how I am in Lamole – from grapes sourced from half a dozen tiny vineyards. He also bottles 3 separate single vineyard Chianti Classico, around 600 bottles of each, and dedicates a small vineyard to an unexpected field blend of Chardonnay, Trebbiano Toscano and Famoso.
Jurij vinifies in the small ancient cellars underneath the town’s church, with the help of his two daughters, Sara and Chiara, who are responsible for the labels’ design.
The Chianti Sonocosi’ ages in concrete vats and reflects the characteristic of high-altitude Sangiovese with its bright and lifted tones, red berries, good acidity and extreme purity and focus.