Chiara Condello Sangiovese Predappio 2018

Highlighting young, emerging brands is our "thing" here at ACME. So, it feels extra special when we can introduce a female owner/winemaker from an under-the-radar wine region. Chiara Condello, owner and Winemaker of her namesake Azienda Agricola, hails from Predappio, Italy. She stewards 10 acres of Sangiovese vineyards situated by the edge of a forest near the heart of town. Growing up in a winemaking family, Chiara found it hard to resist the pull of the vineyards. A seed was planted somewhere along the way during childhood summers helping her grandfather tend to Zibibbo vines in Calabria. Yet, it wasn't until her first harvest working at her father's estate, Condé, before Chiara realized the vineyard was her "natural habitat." Upon completing her Master's in Economics in 2012, she embarked as a full-time winemaker, working alongside her father. 2015 marked the first vintage of her brand, Chiara Condello. She focuses strictly on producing Sangiovese from organically farmed vineyards. In Chiara's words, "In my wines I seek the authentic expression of my land, its history, its soul. I imagine a bright pure wine, that is born from the unrepeatable conditions of the vintage and of its terroir of origin."

The quaint village of Predappio is nestled in the foothills of the Apennine Mountain range within the wealthy northern central region of Emilia-Romagna. Known for crafting luxury products, Emilia-Romagna is famous for artisan foods like Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, as well as coveted sports cars like Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini. For years, the rich (in cost and calories) food history overshadowed the wines of this region; that is until now. Sangiovese, more traditionally associated with Tuscany and the wines of Chianti, is the grape of Predappio and its more extensive region of Romagna. Some historians believe Romagna may have been the original home of Sangiovese, and Predappio in particular. The town has always taken its winemaking seriously, with laws dating as far back as 1382 that decreed quality standards for the grape and resulting wines. Predappio's unique terroir is derived from its distinctive "spungone" soils, comprised of chalky rocks dotted with marine fossils from the Adriatic Sea, which filled the land many millennia before. This rare soil type lends a spice characteristic to the wines and a smooth mouthfeel. Combining the exceptional soil with the cool breezes and significant diurnal temperatures shifts, you get a Sangiovese that boasts bright acidity, sturdy and lasting structure, and generous aromatics.

Chiara and her team hand-harvested the 2018 Sangiovese from three parcels, varying between 450 to 1,050 feet above sea level. Indigenous yeast kicked off fermentation after the berries were macerated for over three weeks. Chiara's 2018 Sangiovese ages in two vessel types: temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks and enormous 3.5 HL Slavonian oak casks. After 12 months, the wine beckons with aromas of crushed stones, ripe red cherries, and notes of wild herbs, musk, and earth. Juicy, medium-bodied, and fresh; red cherries and cranberry with refined tannins. With 2018 Sangiovese being so delicious and only three vintages under her belt, we can only imagine the potential for Chiara's future wines. In that case, we look forward to watching her give those Tuscan wines a run for their money.