High Elevation, Low Intervention in Chianti Classico
Michele Boscia
The great Becky Wasserman once told Oliver that you can see the character of the winemaker in the wine, and Angela Fronti from Istine is a shining example of this truth. Her lively exuberance is balanced by her intelligence and deep understanding of site-specific Chianti.
The Istine estate is a group of small, high-altitude vineyards spread out over three main sites: Casanova dell’Aia near the village of Radda, Cavarchione in the commune of Gaiole, and Istine vineyard in the heart of the historic Chianti zone. A fourth site has also added and we were excited to see it during our recent visit. All the fruit is certified organic, native yeasts only, with long, low-temp, 45 day ferments to keep each site’s natural character intact. The wines are pure, concentrated, and uniquely expressive of their origins. This is low-intervention Sangiovese at its finest.
During our recent visit, we tasted through each of the single vineyard wines, comparing and contrasting the profiles. The Istine vineyard, a single vineyard of almost 4 hectares, was planted in 2002. It is in the heart of the historic Chianti zone between Castellina and Radda, on a hilltop surrounded by woods. Angela’s family is in vineyard construction and management; her brother told us that this vineyard site was so rocky and difficult to clear that they would have bailed on any other customer. We’re glad they didn't! The wines have purity of red fruit, particularly cherry, and delicate herbal notes on the finish.
The Casanova dell’Aia vineyard is close to the village of Radda itself and was planted entirely to Sangiovese in 2002. The wines have a bright mid-red color, and mouthwatering, inviting aromas of sour-cherry, marzipan and thyme.
The Cavarchione vineyard was planted in 2009/2010 to a mixture of high-quality Chianti Classico clones of Sangiovese. Located in the commune of Gaiole, near the hamlet of Vertine. Cavarchione shows a bright mid-red color; aromas and flavors of red fruit, herbs, pencil shavings and game meat. Beefier than the other two crus, very balsamic, very long, very fresh, expressive and clean.
Istine’s Riserva, ‘Le Vigne’, is a blend of the best fruit from the different Istine vineyards. Angela describes this as ‘the perfect synthesis’ of her vineyards; the wine is warm, balsamic, red-fruited, and although not forbiddingly tannic when young, obviously suited to aging in the bottle. This is a genuine Riserva, the best raw materials combined to best express the estate. The sites are fermented and aged separately; final ‘assemblage’ of these best lots takes place shortly before bottling.
We recommend doing your own side-by-side tasting with these incredible, low-intervention wines to see the differences for yourself!