My Trip to Gaiole: 25 Wineries in One Go!
My Trip to Gaiole: 25 Wineries in One Go!
Gaiole in Chianti is a town with just under 3,000 residents, part of the Siena province. And even though it's only about 23 kilometers (a good half-hour drive) from 'my' Panzano, it opens up a whole new world of wines!
I recently got to experience this firsthand at a tasting of wines from 25 wineries in Gaiole, organized for the first time by the Associazione Viticoltori di Gaiole.
Gaiole in Chianti
The First Wine Tasting of the Associazione Viticoltori di Gaiole
25 wineries, 100 labels – that was the theme when the Associazione Viticoltori di Gaiole (the association of winemakers from Gaiole) hosted their first joint tasting of wines from the region on October 27th. They did this in partnership with the local municipality and with a little help from the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium.
It was their first time because the association only started in 2017. But get this – 27 estates, covering a total of 865.86 hectares of vineyards, are already part of the Gaiole winemakers' association! It's good to remember that the size of these wineries really varies, from some super big ones to lots of smaller producers with just a few hectares of vines.
And as luck would have it, I got to be at this super exciting event! It was extra special because the Rocca di Montegrossi winery, whose amazing wines you can find in my online shop, is actually located in Gaiole. Just a quick heads-up: I tasted my way through all 25 wineries, trying their Chianti Classico, Riserva, and even the Gran Selezione if they had it. And let me tell you, I discovered some truly 'red' wonders!
Monia Piccini
I tasted the wines of Gaiole together with Monia Piccini from Panzano
It's the subtle differences that make the taste...
Okay, so this time I'm going to kick things off with my tasting summary: Generally, it's pretty clear that even in Gaiole, winemakers are really leaning towards pure Sangiovese wines and focusing on bringing out the unique character of Sangiovese. But here's the thing: the wines I tasted were actually super diverse!
But let's rewind a bit: The main wines on show were Chianti Classico from 2016 and 2015, plus Riserva from 2015 and 2014. The 2016 Chianti Classico, made purely from Sangiovese, was a bit of a surprise for me – or, to put it another way, surprisingly tricky. That's because they were quite acidic. It's totally possible that the 2016 vintage is just going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but it should smooth out in a few months.
On top of that, Gaiole is a wine region that's home to incredibly diverse vineyards. You'll find everything here: higher spots, really low ones, heavily wooded areas, but also open fields, and vineyards planted both densely and quite spread out. So, depending on all that, the taste and quality of the wines naturally vary. And, as always, the soil and climate play a huge part in what ends up in your bottle. Oh, and let's not forget the winemakers' experience – which, sometimes, might still be developing!
Gaiole in Chianti
The Wineries of the Associazione Viticoltori di Gaiole
Wineries to keep an eye on...
Despite all the variety, a few wineries really caught my eye in a good way. For instance, some of the famous, big names from this area like San Giusto a Rentennano, Castello di Ama, or, of course, 'my' Rocca di Montegrossi. These guys just make wines you love to drink, always getting the best out of every vintage. And
then, of course, there are the wineries that are just huge by nature, like Castello di Brolio. The owner, Francesco Ricasoli, produces around 500,000 bottles of just the 2016 Chianti Classico alone – just to give you an idea of how 'big' we're talking! This wine is sold and enjoyed worldwide, making it a really important ambassador for Chianti Classico.
I also got to taste and really enjoy wines from Capannelle, Badia a Coltibuono, I Sodi, Castello di Cacchiano, and Riecine. It was a fantastic mix of high-quality, yet super diverse wines. A huge, pleasant surprise for me were the wines from Cantalici winery – it's a tiny, family-run place, but their wines have such a lovely, consistent style. All I can say is, I'm definitely going to visit this winery again very soon and keep a close watch on them long-term... because it totally has the potential to become a 'Nina in Chianti' winery!
Another place that really impressed me was the small but lovely Fietri winery. To sum it all up, it was super exciting for me to 'look beyond the Panzano plate' again and be reminded that there are so many interesting – especially smaller – winemakers in the Gaiole area.