Il Borghetto, Clante, IGP, Tuscany, Italy, 2018

Producer Profile

The Azienda Agricola Il Borghetto do things differently in this most well-known and prestigious of Italian wine regions.

Led by owner and maverick winemaker Antonio Cavallino, its determination to make the best wines possible has occasionally placed it at odds with the Consorzio of Chianti Classico, who lay down strict rules about what can and can’t be done. However, incredible results prove that a little rebellion pays off once in a while: with only a third of the estate’s 30ha under vine at any one time and an annual production of just 1,600 cases a year, Il Borghetto is a small but bright thread in Chianti’s complex tapestry of wines.

Viticulture

All the daily operations are keenly overseen by the owner, Antonio Cavallini with the help of long-term collaborator Tim Manning, a British oenologist who has worked extensively with Pinot Noir in New Zealand and above all, in Oregon. There are about twenty or so small blocks of Vineyard at Il Borghetto, each differing slightly from the other, be it in grape variety or clone, or a difference in soil type and slope aspect. They treat each one as a separate entity so that their individual characters can contribute a particular something to the final blend.

Winemaking

Stati Generali dei Vigneti (literally, the general state of the vineyards) was an original idea to produce a completely unique wine that represents a snapshot of the very best grapes from all of the Borghetto vineyards from one single day. To that end, when they think the moment is right, they harvest literally a hand-full of the very best bunches of grapes from each and every parcel of vineyards. Those bunches are then fermented as 100% whole clusters. Harvested, by hand, only the best clusters - those with fully lignified stems and perfect berries - in each vineyard are gently crushed by foot, followed by a long maceration in an open bin and skin contact for 42 days. Only one 500 litre tonneau is produced, which means less than 500 bottles and a few magnums. This wine is only sold through allocation, with a maximum of 90 bottles and 12 magnums in each country.

Tasting Note

Clante is the name the Etruscans gave to the hills now called Chianti Classico This wine is a barrel selection of the finest of Borghetto's Sangiovese and represents the best their vineyards have to offer. Powerful and punchy, with tons of whole cluster character, this wine has a lot to offer. Orange peel, star anise, mint and spice add a distinctive element of exoticism. The Clante lives in its own realm, a world completely apart from the norm in Chianti Classico. More importantly, it is an absolutely compelling wine.

Food Matching

Slow cooked wild boar stew, or well hung pheasant.