Cigliano di Sopra
Maddalena Fucile and Matteo Vaccari
Tuscany – Chianti Classico DOCG
Despite its historical proximity to Florence and its role in making some of the most well-known Tuscan wines of the last century, San Casciano in Val di Pesa is not necessarily an appellation of Chianti Classico that leaps to mind. Perhaps this is because it has in recent decades been dominated by large producers who bought fruit, thus neutralizing differences in terroir and in the cellar. Or because it is lower lying, with soils that tend to defy the simplistic distinction made between albarese and galestro in Chianti Classico, as large river rocks appear amidst sandstone macigno and clays before reaching limestone bedrock.
There is undeniable energy brewing in San Casciano however, and nowhere more so than at Cigliano di Sopra. Here Maddalena Fucile and Matteo Vaccari craft graceful, articulate, compelling Chianti Classico on Maddalena’s family estate, which up until 2016 sold in bulk.
Matteo with Alice III, San Casciano June 2023
Cigliano di Sopra comprises eight hectares and a dozen plots with every possible exposure, all cooled by winds blowing from the sea. The cellar is located below a building on the property dating to the 14th century. In few places have I seen such a combination of passion for the future of their estate and clear winemaking ambition. These include parcel-by-parcel whole-berry fermentations, sulfur additions only at bottling, and the use of massale selections from top producers (and dear friends) in the zone for replanting.
Red-berried, bright, and notably structured due to the presence of stems (from 30-100% depending on the site), there is both an unmatched freshness and an unmistakable presence across the lineup. These features belie the youthfulness of this winemaking duo and the novel history of the domaine. One shouldn’t be fooled, however: Matteo and Maddalena have put in immense effort and forethought into their work, working with some of the greatest producers in Chianti Classico (Fontodi, Isole e Olena) and beyond (Evening Land, Domaine de la Cote). A visit to the small cellar, tasting from barrel near the tiny library of wines charting their progress, manages to conjure grand visions of what is surely to come.
