Podere Le Boncie

Italy • Tuscany

Podere Le Boncie, situated in the hamlet of San Felice outside Castelnuovo Berardenga, has established itself as one of the most exciting traditionalist estates in the Chianti Classico zone.

Giovanna Morganti is quickly becoming recognized as one of the best of the new generation of Tuscan winemakers. Her small estate is a mere three hectares and she makes two wines, called “Le Trame” (the intrigues) & “Cinque” (5), signifying the wheeling and dealing required to purchase the land.

Giovanna’s father was a legendary oenologist who believed in Tuscan varietals long before the “flying consultants” identified this area as a profit centere. Giovanna studied oenology herself and went to work in the mid 1980s for San Felice wines in Castelnuovo Berardenga, near Siena, on a project to plant around 300 traditional Tuscan grape varietals collected from old vineyards. When Giovanna’s father gave her a small farm with olive groves, called Le Boncie, she added a vineyard planted with her favorites from the experimental project – Sangiovese, obviously, but also Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Foglia Tonda Mammolo and Prugnolo. The vineyard, planted to a very high density of 7000 vines per hectare and dedicated principally to Sangiovese, produces the definitive wine of the estate, “Le Trame”.

Vineyard work is conducted according to the general principles of the biodynamic movement. Harvesting is by hand. Fermentation occurs in traditional open-topped wooden tanks. The elevage is long and tranquil with an occasional racking implemented to aerate the wine. Aging occurs in mid-size barrels; the wine is then left to age in bottle for at least six months prior to release.