We had the pleasure of meeting Susanna Grassi this fall and tasting her beautiful wines with her. It was a crisp, chilly afternoon and the sun was sneaking through the windows, making the room calm and peaceful. Then Susanna walked in and flooded the ambience with even more peace and elegance.
Her family has lived on this Tuscan estate since 1620, and although she was always destined to make wine, she took a different path at first. Fashion in Florence, a fast-paced career abroad. Then she came home in the late 90s, to vineyards in disrepair and a villa that needed saving. She saw the beauty in it. She set out to bring it back to life, with a goal of making wines that spoke of the Lamole hills the way her great-grandfather Olinto had generations before her.
This Lamole Chianti is 100% Sangiovese grown at 650 metres. The highest elevations in the region. Hand-harvested. Fermented and aged for 18 months only in concrete, because Susanna respects the delicacy of the fruit. V iolets, licorice, dried orange, savoury peppery spices, and mint make this an exceptionally elegant, layered, lifted Chianti.
