I have previously noted the significant contributions of the "Sangiovese Whisperer," Giulio Gambelli, to the success of heavyweights such as Soldera, Poggio di Sotto, Cerbaiona, and Montevertine. He played a similar role at Villa Rosa, another notable Chianti Classico producer.
Villa Rosa is a 126-ha estate -- 30 of which are devoted to vineyards and 15 to olive groves -- located in Castellino in Chianti and, until 2015, under the ownership of the Lucherini Bandini Family. In 2015 the estate was purchased by the Ceechi Family, concluding the 70-year run of the former owners.
Giulio was friendly with both families and no doubt advised on the initiative. The Villa Rosa cellarman, Oletto, transitioned with the new owners. In describing Giulio to Corriere della sera Firenze, he stated thusly:
"A hunter drawn to wine," so he liked to define himself. But over time he was given the name "Bicchierino," as an expert taster but also a talent in knowing how to recognize the nuances of one of the most representative vines of Tuscany in the glass: Sangiovese. He has helped to develop some of the best known companies in the Italian wine scene and with simplicity, in a historical period in which enology was done above all with the heart.
The stature of the Villa Rosa Gambelli-era wines are illustrated by the inclusion of the 1969 and 1971 Chianti Classico Reserve in a tasting titled "Tasting the history of Giulio Gambelli: a (perhaps) unrepeatable tasting, from Villarosa 1969 to Soldera 1999" (Carlo Macchi, lavinium.it, 4/21/16). . Macchi remarked on the "... exceptional youth, complexity, freshness, and depth of practically all the wines tasted .. " and Gambelli standing out "in the round as the absolute master of Sangiovese."
All of the wines were characterized by "absolute longevity, with backbone and almost always incredible aromatic and gustatory depth." Macchi continued:
In some cases we have had before us wines that perhaps can no longer be made, with marked acidity, low alcohol (12.5%) and characteristics of finesse, elegance and shelf life that is not really obvious to imagine in many products of these years. Maybe then they were rough and, especially those born in the nineties, did not follow the prevailing taste, but these bottles proved that Giulio Gambelli was always right.
Villa Rosa sits between the hills of Castellino in Chianti on calcareous clay soils that combine albarese limestone and marl shale. The grape growing areas of the estate are illustrated in the graphic below.
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| Vineyard image from villarosa.wine |
The Ceechi Family has doubled down on Gambelli's love of, and committment to, Sangiovese. They have fully embraced the concept of Gran Selezione as the apex of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid and have undertaken a number of initiatives at Villa Rosa to implement this vision. The first step was the implementation of a comprehensive soil profile study with the objective of locating crus on the estate. The intent here was to combine the scientific information gleaned from the soil profiles with the qualitative information base of the winegrowers in order to determine the rootstock and clones that would allow the best expression of Sangiovese in differing terroirs.
The second step was the modification of the vineyard environment based on the Step 1 findings. In this phase the Palazione Vineyard -- originally planted in 1965 -- would be gradually renovated with older vines maintained and cuttings from those vines used as scions for new/replacement plantings.
The third step was, beginning with the 2015 vintage, declaring its top wine a Gran Selezione. After over two years of study, in 2013 the Chianti Classico Consorzio announced the introduction of a new tier of wine that was to be positioned above the Riserva. This new tier was called Gran Selezione and was designed to communicate the quality of the wines resulting from replanting over 60% of the region's vines in the prior 15 years. The wines must be: made from estate-grown grapes with yields not to exceed 52.5 hectoliters/ha; 80% Sangiovese; spend 30 months in oak; and spend three months in bottle. Producers could begin offering these wines using their 2010 vintages.
While some producers saw Gran Selezione as a positive step, potentially leading to single-vineyard offerings, others saw the possibility for creating greater confusion as the consumer wades through the thickets of Chianti, Chianti Classico, IGT, and the relevant tiers. In the intervening years, as pointed out in Tom Hyland's Forbes article, Chianti Classico producers have become more accepting of the scheme; Villa Rosa falls within that camp.
The estate's Gran Selezione entry is 100% Sangiovese fermented for 22 months and then aged in Tonneaux for 15 months, in concrete for 3 months, and then in bottle for an additional year.
It will be very interesting to taste the 2015 Gran Selezione against some of the newer vintages yielded by the changes in the Villa Rosa vineyards. The 2015 vintage is reflective of the inputs of Giulio Gambelli but vineyard changes should change the taste profile of the wines. Given that newer vintages will most likely be a mix of older and younger vines, it will take some years before a meaningful contrast can be drawn.
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