Piemaggio is a small property just outside Castellina in Chianti, toward the southern (Siena) end of the Chianti Classico DOCG zone. Their 12 hectares of vineyards are on south- and southwest-facing slopes in the hamlet of Fioraie (thus the wine’s name, which means “the flower-sellers”), with the classic mix of galestro and albarese marls (galestro contains more sandstone, albarese more limestone). Piemaggio is an estate dating to the 12th century (such historic places are around every corner in the Chianti Classico), with ruins of many of its original buildings still on site. Within the bucolic setting the wines are crafted in a relatively ‘modern’ way, with fermentation taking place in stainless steel vats and aging done in a combination of cement vats and French oak barrels of varying capacity. This 2019 spent a total of 18 months aging in cement and barrel (a mixture of 5- and 25-hectoliter liter casks), then 3 months in bottle before its initial release. This bottling is knit together beautifully—the youthful sharp edges of Sangiovese have been sanded down and the oak has had a chance to integrate, resulting in a deep, soulful, smooth-textured red with all of its components in terrific balance.
