Chiara Condello

Chiara Condello

Chiara Condello, like another Italian wunderkind, Giulia Negri, grew up on a wine estate, and like Giulia, she studied economics and wanted more than just to manage. Although she has more recently also taken over her parents' larger estate, her pet project is "Chiara Condello Le Lucciole," a small, carefully selected plot of clay on limestone at 250 m above sea level, sloping towards the east. Here, Chiara does e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g to bring the grape sangiovese and the growing site together in a fruit-driven and well-balanced wine that goes down faster than you'd expect. To quote Chiara: "I follow the path I have chosen with organic farming, manual work, and the greatest possible respect for the plants and the soil... it is of critical importance to have healthy, well-balanced vineyards in harmony with their surroundings... I visit the vineyards every day and only bring healthy, well-cared-for grapes into the cellar..." Chiara has also chosen to work without adding yeast or filtering, and with as little sulphur as possible. Her clean wines are typically aged in large casks of Slavonian oak.