Cigliano di Sopra, Chianti Classico 2022

Made from estate-grown Sangiovese from Cigliano di Sopra’s vineyards in San Casciano in Val di Pesa. The soils here are predominantly alluvial, with a mixture of sand, clay and ancient river stones that Matteo Vaccari believes gives the wines their distinctive texture and mineral character.

For the 2022 vintage, Maddalena Fucile and Matteo used a higher proportion of stems, around 50–60%, bringing extra perfume, structure and energy to the wine. Around 25% was matured in 1,500-litre Stockinger oak cask, with 2022 marking the first vintage in which the estate used these larger vessels.

All of Cigliano di Sopra’s reds spend at least a year in wood, but the emphasis here is firmly on supporting rather than obscuring the Sangiovese. 

The result is a particularly vivid expression of Chianti Classico: fresh, finely structured and aromatic, with the brightness of Sangiovese front and centre rather than overt oak influence.

One of the most exciting new names to emerge from Chianti Classico, Cigliano di Sopra is the project of Maddalena Fucile and Matteo Vaccari, two young winemakers bringing fresh energy to Maddalena’s historic family estate at San Casciano in Val di Pesa.

The property itself is anything but new. Set among vineyards, olive groves and woodland just south of Florence, the 32-hectare estate has been in Maddalena’s family for generations. Today around eight hectares are under vine, farmed organically, with Sangiovese at the heart of the estate. 

Maddalena and Matteo studied viticulture and oenology together at the University of Florence before gaining experience both at home and abroad. Most significantly, they worked in California and Oregon alongside Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman at Domaine de la Côte and Evening Land, an experience they credit with opening their minds to a more precise, expressive and less conventional approach to wine. Returning to Tuscany, they began developing Cigliano di Sopra in earnest, producing just 1,000 bottles in 2016. 

Their ambition isn’t to reinvent Chianti Classico, but to reveal it with remarkable clarity. The estate is divided into individual parcels, with sandy and clay-rich soils scattered with ancient river stones. Farming is meticulous, intervention in the cellar is restrained, and production remains tiny. Rather than buying fruit to expand, Maddalena and Matteo are committed to working solely with grapes grown on the estate.

The resulting wines have an arresting combination of perfume, freshness, fine tannin and unmistakable Sangiovese character. They feel contemporary without losing their Tuscan identity; elegant, energetic wines that are rapidly establishing Cigliano di Sopra as one of the names to watch in Chianti Classico.