Fattoria Cigliano di Sopra Vigneto Branca, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy 2021

Despite its historical proximity to Florence and its role in making some of the most well-known Tuscan wines of the last century, San Casciano in Val di Pesa is not necessarily an appellation of Chianti Classico that leaps to mind. Perhaps this is because it has in recent decades been dominated by large producers who bought fruit, thus neutralizing differences in terroir and in the cellar. Or because it is lower lying, with soils that tend to defy the simplistic distinction made between albarese and galestro in Chianti Classico, as large river rocks appear amidst sandstone macigno and clays before reaching limestone bedrock.

There is undeniable energy brewing in San Casciano however, and nowhere more so than at Cigliano di Sopra. Here Maddalena Fucile and Matteo Vaccari craft graceful, articulate, compelling Chianti Classico on Maddalena’s family estate, which up until 2016 sold in bulk.

Cigliano di Sopra totals eight hectares over about a dozen plots. The wind cooled parcels face every cardinal direction, giving the winery a comprehensive range of sun and wind exposure. Maddalena Fucile and Matteo Vaccari are the talented duo behind the Chianti Classico wines of Cigliano di Sopra. In Maddalena’s family since the early 20th century, the estate goes back to the 12th century. Historically a producer of bulk wine, Maddalena and Matteo have transformed the estate into a producer of precise and prolific styles. 

From the 1972 plantings this 100% whole cluster Sangiovese is a Tuscan gem. Elegant, seductive, the wine is aged 14 months in used French barrique. Produced in tiny amounts.