“That’s the beauty of wine - in the bottle, you can bring your place.”
It’s no wonder we have called Chiara Condello a “young winemaker” for more than a decade, after her first solo vintage in 2015; within seconds, through the beaming eyes and smile, you observe her energy and passion with every sense available to your body. It’s through this same energy – along with a sizable dollop of know-how and want-to – that her wines have garnered such an ardent following.
Born close to Predappio, the region she now calls home, Chiara was raised by her grandparents who brought her into their world of winemaking. Chiara mused on her early memories of time with “Nonno”, in the dark cellars, of traveling to wine regions. Predappio, you see, is a small appellation, the farthest-north Sangiovese-producing region in Italy (in Emilia-Romagna, on the border of northern Tuscany); even though its history dates back nearly a millennium, it can be insular to remain tied to one place, to not experience more in the world of wine. Chiara took a great deal from travels in her early years, especially a stint in Burgundy at the beginning of her career to gain experience.
In 2012, Chiara moved back to her family’s estate in Predappio along with a newfound respect for the region. “In a place where we have something unique,” Chiara told us, “Things belong to that place. Predappio has those unique conditions.” She found she loved her family’s vineyards even more, and when a neighbor informed Chiara & Nonno of their intent to rip out 1.5 hectares of vineyards, Chiara leapt at the chance to take them over. In 2015, the first wine was created under Chiara Condello’s name.
The 40-year-old vineyard was just a jumping-off point. “The previous owners farmed respectfully, some organic practices,” Chiara admits. “One later vineyard was…not so much!” With ten hectares of land, about seven planted, today Chiara has a terrific grasp on her vines, which she tells us are treated like individuals. “Respectful, that is the only thing that counts - there are some biodynamic practices, but I don’t work the soil, I let the canopy protect the grapes – I roll, I don’t trim.” Yet, as she tells it, she felt “in a cage” early on in Predappio, as it is rather isolated from the rest of Tuscany; the ancient, small appellation has history in spades, but has little in common with the famous Brunello houses, save for the grape itself.
Predappio, you could say, is an ideal in today’s wine world: the Apennine mountains in the background, the influence of the Adriatic sea, all providing a steady climactic protection for the vines. The two local strains of Sangiovese Piccolo and Sangiovese di Predappio dominate; “Piccolo,” Chiara explains, “It’s…different. Smaller bunches, smaller berries, more skin-to-grape ratio, but it’s fruitier. The tannins are there, the structure, though, it stays soft and gentle.” Thus, to showcase the grapes’ potential, Chiara has divided her vineyards into those with clay-based soils and those with rockier soils: Predappio the former, Lucchiole the latter. “Clay gives Sangiovese more approachability,” Chiara adds, “And the rocky portions were basically the peak of a coral reef – there’s more pH, more tannins.”
The vineyards, as much as the wines are representative of that spirit Chiara possesses. “There was a difficult part at the beginning,” she admits, “But I took that as a positive, as a push to ‘go’!” And go, she went; Chiara was inspired to go, taste, talk with more producers throughout Burgundy and yes, Tuscany. “Sharing is the best part of my work,” Chiara beams. “Sharing, exploring others is oxygen. I get to recharge with new ideas.”
Chiara proudly represents Predappio, and is intentionally making wines as emblematic of the region as they are of her. “I always want to keep the ‘Predappio’ bottling at a price where you can taste the Predappio,” Chiara states. “Every vintage begins from scratch, every year I am trying to do better; if I thought I made the best, I would stop! I drink too many great wines to not be inspired.”
VITICULTURE & VINIFICATION
Fully certified organic, the vines are all treated by hand, and two distinct soil types make up the vineyards. For the ‘Predappio’ bottling, the aim is freshness and tension while being approachable; all of the vines on clay-based soils will go toward this bottling. Predappio is entirely de-stemmed prior to fermentation.
Le Lucchiole is a Cru vineyard, kept separate due to its rocky soils that are originally from a coral reef. Shells, coral and marine sand can be found throughout, and results in a higher pH and more tannin. For fermentations, this is only partially de-stemmed.
Stralisco is a special cuvée that is only produced when the conditions are perfect. Left fully in whole clusters – “How Nonno used to do it!" – the grapes are placed in an open, conical vat, and foot-stomped. This is only aged in concrete, while Lucchiole & Predappio are aged in Slavonian oak vats (with Predappio 1-1.5 years in oak before blending in concrete).
One point of emphasis for Chiara is keeping the entire berry whole; outside of Stralisco, there is no pigeage, and all fermentations are spontaneous (no inoculations, no pied de cuve). The cap will be maintained with routine pump-overs, and only after the initial swell of heat (up to 32-33 degrees Celsius) will any temperature modifications be used. Le Lucchiole generally undergoes a rather long maceration, anywhere from 35-70 days; “I say ‘infusion’, not ‘extraction’,” Chiara explains.
