There are two important names to remember as you consider today’s Italian stunner. The first, of course, is Chiara Condello, an exceptionally talented young winemaker displaying an extremely deft touch with the Sangiovese grape. The second is Predappio, a town in the province of Forlì, in the Romagna half of the Emilia-Romagna region.
This is the other side of the Apennines from the Sangiovese strongholds of Tuscany (Chianti Classico; Montalcino; Montepulciano), but some historians believe it to be the grape’s original home. Regardless, we’re talking about a historically important and naturally perfect terroir for one of Italy’s most finicky varieties—one of a dozen villages that can be cited as official sub-zones under the “Romagna Sangiovese” DOC designation. Enter Condello, who cites the late Tuscan Sangiovese guru Giulio Gambelli as an inspiration and channels his spirit in wines that are nuanced, perfumed, and uncommonly silky. I was completely blown away when I tasted today’s ’17, even more so when I learned that Condello’s first commercial vintage was 2015. She is undoubtedly a winemaker to watch. I’d put this well-priced bottling right up there with the very best wines we’ve offered from Tuscany, and it’s no outlier—everything we’ve tasted from Condello has been impeccable. In the absence of being able to go to Italy and see for ourselves, this is what passes for excitement around here: A thrilling “debut” offer from a producer who’s ready for the big time!
I should add that Chiara didn’t just fall out of the sky into Romagna: Her family produces wine in Predappio under the Condé label, but Chiara maintains her own cellar and farms her own vineyards. She has seven hectares of land in total, of which 4.8 are planted to Sangiovese, which she farms organically. The broader growing zone that includes Predappio is southeast of Bologna, in the foothills of the Apennines, fanning out from the town of Forlì. The soils are marl/sandstone mixtures that resemble those found in Chianti, while the landscape is similarly hilly and dramatic, with vineyard elevations often climbing past 300 meters.
As noted above, Predappio is one of 12 officially recognized sub-zones of the Romagna DOC appellation; others include Bertinoro, Cesena, and Modigliana, the latter home to an old favorite of mine, Ronchi di Castelluccio. We’ve also offered terrific Sangiovese wines from one of Condello’s neighbors in Predappio, Noelia Ricci. I mention this because I’ve seen this region with my own eyes and we’ve all been sleeping on it for too long. A lot of producers in the area opted for richer, more oak-slathered reds in the search for international recognition and critical acclaim, but the trend seems to be shifting toward wines of finesse and energy—a much better choice for Sangiovese, in my humble opinion.
Condello’s 2017 was sourced from three old-vine parcels ranging from 150-350 meters’ elevation, in soils composed mainly of clay and limestone. She highlights another soil type unique to the region: spungone, a porous, sedimentary of limestone marl and sandstone. Chiara de-stems the harvested grapes but does not crush them, employing a “whole berry” style of fermentation that brightens the primary fruit character and keeps harsh tannins at bay. The fermentation, on ambient yeasts only, was carried out in a mix of stainless steel tanks and open-top wooden vats/barrels. The wine then aged for a year in 3500L Slavonian oak botti before bottling.
The result is an aromatically mesmerizing Sangiovese of uncommonly silky texture. It has all the lively energy the variety is known for, but where so many others are tart and “grippy,” this one absolutely glides across the palate. I know it’s a little played out at this point to make a comparison to Pinot Noir from Burgundy, but I just can’t help myself—the resemblance is simply too strong to ignore! In the glass, it shines a deep garnet-red moving to pink at the rim, with aromas of small red woodland berries jumping out first, followed by waves of black and red cherry, wild strawberry, dried orange peel, violets, tomato leaf, black pepper, and underbrush. It is medium-bodied and truly refined—a silken pleasure through and through, albeit with enough energy and cut to ignite the salivary response. Decant it 30 minutes before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems and enjoy one of the most versatile reds your dinner table could ask for. I’d consider it with everything from cedar-planked salmon to grilled ribeye steak, but I’ve got something a little more local (well, okay, Modena, but close) in mind given the time of year: Cotechino with lentils, drizzled with some balsamic vinegar. It can’t happen soon enough!
