The story of small Le Boncie estate begins not with Owner/Winemaker Giovanna Morganti, but rather with her father, Enzo. Enzo Morganti was arguably the most important figure in the establishment of the Chianti Classico appellation. He was the Managing Director of the historic San Felice estate. With his work at San Felice, Enzo championed a focus on Sangiovese and elevated the region from sour, flawed wine in wicker-wrapped bottles, to being respected as one of the truly elite terroirs on Earth. In short, the quality coming from Chianti Classico today would not exist without Enzo’s work in the middle of last century.
Fast forward to present day, Enzo’s daughter Giovanna farms and operates a small agriturismo (a bed & breakfast that serves food and wine produced on the property), just north of Castenuovo Berardenga—a small village in the heart of southern Chianti Classico. In an age when many of the most visible and celebrated Tuscan wines hail from lavish corporate estates with deep pockets and marketing budgets, Giovanna’s farm is an exception. The tiny and rustic 3-hectare property, a gift from her father, was selected for its ideal vineyard potential and sits at 1,000 feet above sea level. The land is home to olive and fruit trees, farm animals and a special diversity of grape vines. In addition to classic Sangiovese, Giovanna farms more obscure varieties like Cillegiolo, Mammolo, Fogliatonda and Colorino in her vineyard. The painstaking effort that goes into organically farming this vineyard is impressive—all work is completed by hand and no shortcuts are taken. The work in Giovanna’s cellar is equally and proudly traditional. Juice is fermented in large, open-top oak tanks before being racked into a small battery of medium size, neutral oak barrels. The cellar is strikingly absent of modern technology, stainless steel and other trappings of modern winemaking. This is Chianti as it was made 100 years ago.
One important note about this wine—easily one of the most expressive and classic Chianti Classicos I’ve enjoyed in the last few years—is that you will no longer see the words Chianti Classico DOCG printed on the label, and I’ve only included them in parenthesis above. Despite the arch-traditionalism of this wine and her father’s defining role in the region, Giovanna no longer believes in the increasingly commercial philosophy of the appellation and how it markets itself. It is said that Chianti Classico DOCG’s governing body presses estates to produce ever more modern wines that have little in common with the purity and rusticity of Le Boncie. So, with this 2011 vintage, Giovanna has formally removed her estate from the Chianti Classico DOCG, and is now bottling her wine without the appellation name. This is a strong political statement and I commend Giovanna for having the courage to stand behind her principles. Fortunately, I have zero concerns about this decision’s impact on the success of the estate. This is one of the greatest wines of Tuscany and the Le Boncie name, alone, is a strong guarantee of quality and authenticity.
The 2011 Podere Le Boncie Le Trame has a dark and concentrated crimson core moving to intense garnet and orange reflections on the rim. The nose explodes out of the glass with bold and aggressive aromas of red plum, dried cherries, dried blood orange skin, rose petals, wild herbs, leather, wet clay and subtle baking spices. There is a three dimensional “Tuscan-ness” that bleeds from this wine—the sanguine, raw purity is inimitable outside of central Tuscany. Despite the extroverted nature of the nose, this beautiful wine’s palate is incredibly soft and velvet like with layers of flavor that mirror the nose. This is classic Sangiovese at its finest. Though it will age and improve effortlessly for the next seven to ten years, it is perfect to drink at the moment. Simply decant the wine for one hour and serve in large Bordeaux stems, at roughly cellar temp. Again, I can’t stress enough the pleasure of marrying this wine to a perfect steak. Ask your butcher for the best ribeye available, season it liberally with salt and black pepper, grill medium rare, and serve with a generous pat of butter. Some simply grilled vegetables and this stunning wine will complete a memorable meal. Cheers!
