Lamole di Lamole, Vigneto di Campolungo: how high-altitude Chianti Classico transcends time

At A Life of Wine we met the Chianti winery Lamole di Lamole, having the privilege of tasting a vertical of four vintages of Chianti Classico produced from the grapes of the Vigneto di Campolungo.

Chianti Classico is a wine-growing region located in central Tuscany, extending across just nine municipalities between the province of Florence (four municipalities) and that of Siena (the remaining five). Lamole, despite being a hamlet of Greve in Chianti in the province of Florence, is considered an integral part of the territory of Radda in Chianti in the Sienese area. The defining characteristic of this territory is the altitude of its vineyards, some of which exceed 650 metres above sea level – the threshold limit for Sangiovese cultivation.

Lamole derives from the Latin "lamulae," the blades of earth that intersect the "macigno chiantigiano," a rocky island amid the vast expanse of clay in the territory, where the sandstones of the Apennines meet rocks such as galestro in blocks or fragmented into thin layers, as well as alberese, composed of compact white limestone rich in iron and manganese. With these soil characteristics, the vine is compelled to seek water at depth, thereby enriching itself with minerals. The territory is also distinguished by the so-called terrazze di Lamole – terraces built over centuries using dry-stone walls constructed from local stone. These terraces play a fundamental role in viticulture: beyond making steeply sloping land cultivable and helping to prevent soil erosion, they reflect daylight to stimulate photosynthesis in the vine and retain the heat that the night draws away.

Here stands the winery Lamole di Lamole, which has been part of the Gruppo Santa Margherita since 1993, with a total surface area of 173 hectares, 57 of which are under vine. The winery recently completed its conversion to organic farming, a process begun some twenty years ago. As part of this transition, synthetic products have been eliminated in favour of new practices including cover cropping, the use of natural compost, and the reuse of raw materials such as shredded vine cuttings mixed with grape pomace as new soil fertilisers. Even the use of copper and sulphur – permitted under organic viticulture – is kept to a particularly strict minimum.

The Vigneto di Campolungo covers around ten hectares and sits at an altitude ranging between 420 and 576 metres above sea level. Planted between 1982 and 2009 on "macigno" and partly terraced, it is a true estate cru trained primarily to spur cordon. South-west facing, the vineyard has a planting density of between 3,300 and 5,200 vines per hectare. It is the source of the finest grapes used to produce the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione wines tasted alongside the Riserva 2009, produced when the Gran Selezione disciplinare did not yet exist.

After careful selection, the grapes undergo destemming and, from the 2015 harvest onwards, optical sorting of the individual berries. Following a gentle pressing, the must ferments in truncated-cone oak vats of 50 hectolitres with skin maceration for approximately two weeks. This is followed by a maturation period in 30 and 50-hectolitre oak casks, with a small portion of the blend aged in barrique. Over time, the share of wine matured in barrique has been progressively reduced, with the most recent vintages raised entirely in large cask. The Gran Selezione requires a longer period of wood ageing than the Riserva, although when the bottle ageing of the wine is taken into account, the overall maturation period is very similar between the two types.

Here is how the tasting went

Chianti Classico Vigneto di Campolungo Gran Selezione 2021 (Sangiovese in purezza)

2021 was a warm vintage with an uneven growing season. A cold winter that delayed budbreak was followed by spring rainfall that pushed flowering into late June, and then a very hot summer with almost no rain. From late August, conditions improved with the arrival of rainfall and a drop in temperatures, allowing the bunches to complete their phenolic, aromatic, and technological ripening slowly – between the second half of September and the third week of October – at near-perfect levels.

Deep ruby red in colour, on the nose this is a wine that is still rather closed, characterised by notes of violet and wild berries, followed by hints of dark spices, coffee, and tobacco with a long, fruity finish. On the palate it shows its full power, with a vigorous freshness that stimulates salivation and very dense tannins, a sign of youth. Very long finish with a retro-olfactory note of aromatic herbs.

Chianti Classico Vigneto di Campolungo Gran Selezione 2017 (Sangiovese in purezza)

A very hot vintage, with a generalised scarcity of rainfall throughout the year. An overall mild spring was followed by a torrid summer that accelerated grape ripening. A more favourable September allowed harvesting between late September and early October, with grape quality that was satisfactory on the whole.

The wine presents a ruby colour with garnet glints. On the nose, aromas of red berry jam emerge, along with notes of sweet spices, hints of tobacco, undergrowth, and graphite, closing on camphor. On the palate it impresses with its balance, with a tannin that just dries the mouth, offset by a lovely glyceric softness and an acidity that is restrained yet nonetheless present – likely attributable to organic farming despite the warm thermal profile of the vintage. It closes on a still-fruity trail.

Chianti Classico Vigneto di Campolungo Gran Selezione 2013 (Sangiovese 90%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%)

The 2013 growing season was marked by a very cold winter and spring, which caused a delay in the phenological stages of the vine. The summer was dry, with good diurnal temperature variations that favoured aromatic development. Harvesting took place predominantly during the month of October.

In the glass the wine shows a ruby colour with a pale rim. On the nose the profile is still predominantly fruity, with notes of marasca cherry, wild berry jam, then vanilla and liquorice on the finish. On the palate it has a profile that still reads young despite the sample being 12 years old, with freshness to the fore. Long finish on spiced tones.

Chianti Classico Vigneto di Campolungo Riserva 2009 (Sangiovese 85%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%)

A warm vintage, with a mild spring and a dry summer leading to rapid ripening, although this was tempered by the altitude of the vineyard. Grape harvest from late September through to well into October. As noted, the wine produced is classified as Riserva, as the Gran Selezione disciplinare only became available from the 2010 harvest onwards.

Ruby red in colour with garnet hues. On the nose the wine offers aromas of blackberry and blueberry jam, followed by liquorice, leather, and tobacco with a long mineral finish. On the palate the wine presents an acidity that is still very much present, balanced by a great softness imparted by time, with tannins that are finally silky smooth. A persistent wine with balsamic retro-olfactory returns.

A beautiful vertical in which we tasted wines from generally very warm vintages – with the exception of 2013 – where the contributions of the vineyard's altitude and organic farming proved decisive to the quality of the final product. Freshness was maintained even in the less young samples, and each of the wines tasted displayed distinctive characteristics while retaining a shared underlying matrix. A wine to pair with game dishes from Tuscan cuisine.