For today's podcast episode, I'm visiting the Le Fonti winery in Panzano in Chianti and get to sit on my favorite terrace in all of Chianti - the terrace of Vicky and Guido, the owners of Le Fonti.

The trees make the terrace pleasantly shady in summer and you have a wonderful view over the vineyards from here. Mack, Le Fonti's dog, often sits with us. He guards the vineyards by keeping deer and wild boar away. Conveniently, the terrace is also right next to the cellar - so there's always a glass of wine to try.

The owner

Vicky Schmitt-Vitali is sitting by my side. She and her husband Guido are the owners of the Le Fonti winery. Vicky is the mother of three children and always has a smile on her face, even when she has a lot to do. She organizes the family, but also the direct sales at the winery, which is open to tourists and Le Fonti lovers. She gives winery tours for visitors and organizes her staff in the vineyard and cellar when wines need to be filled, grapes harvested and olives picked. She takes care of all the paperwork for orders abroad AND she cooks FANTASTIC food!

The winery in the heart of Tuscany

Le Fonti is a winery in the heart of Tuscany - in Chianti Classico. Right in the heart of Chianti Classico lies Panzano and right in the heart of Panzano lies Le Fonti. Coming from the piazza, you go up to the church in the historic part of Panzano and from this street you turn right to Le Fonti. This means that you can walk to the winery from the piazza - which is not often the case.

Le Fonti at a glance

Le Fonti consists of almost 9 hectares of vineyards and around 1,000 olive trees and is run according to organic principles. Le Fonti has belonged to the Schmidt family since 1993. Vicky's father Conrad bought the vineyard at that time and replanted the vineyards with the three varieties "Sangiovese", "Merlot" and "Cabernet Sauvignon". At some point, Vicky and her husband Guido took over the winery and have been responsible for the wines ever since. The range includes three wines labeled Chianti Classico: a wonderfully fruity Chianti Classicoa Chianti Classico Riserva and a Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. Then there is the Fontissimo (also known as "Papa's Best"), a cuvée of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and, depending on the vintage, more or less Sangiovese. The range is rounded off by a single-varietal Merlota summery house wine La Lepre and, the Rosato AND olive oil. 

"Alta Valle della Greve" - Cool locations

The wines of Le Fonti have already received numerous awards and are constantly winning prizes. This is perhaps also due to Le Fonti's vineyards and orientation. I always say that Le Fonti has "cool vineyards". The name of the vineyards "Alta Valle della Greve" means "the high valley of the Greve". Greve" refers to the municipality further down the valley, but of course also to the river that flows through the vineyard. Le Fonti lies at an altitude of 450 meters and the Greve at around 220 meters. The vineyards all face east and therefore get the first morning sun. In the afternoon there is shade almost everywhere, which ensures fewer withered grapes and later a special freshness in the wine. According to Vicky's father, this makes Le Fonti the absolute "platinum site". 

When is the harvest?

In the past, the harvest was actually always in October. However, due to the hot summers and more extreme temperatures in the last ten years, it has become earlier and earlier, so that at some point the harvest began in mid-September. The grapes can cope well with the heat during the day, but only if it cools down again at night. On hot days and cool nights, the grapes ripen much faster, resulting in the ideal balance of acidity and alcohol.

Do all grape varieties ripen at the same time?

The ripening time of the grapes depends on their location, but also on the variety - Merlot, for example, ripens much earlier than Sangiovese. Cabernet Sauvignon is usually the last to ripen - the grapes are more consistent and can hang on the vine for three to four days longer if necessary. Sangiovese is a grape that grows very close together and is therefore more susceptible to rot caused by water or rain as, unlike the other varieties, there is hardly any air flow between the individual berries. 

How can you tell when the grapes are ripe?

In order to recognize the optimum time of ripeness, attention is paid to analytical values such as the pH value, acidity and sugar values. But the appearance of the plant also plays a role - when the stalk starts to turn from green to brown, this is the first good sign - when you break open the bunch and the seeds are no longer green but brownish, this is another good sign that the grapes are ripe. The weather also plays a decisive role here. If the grapes actually need a few more days, but the weather is forecast to be extremely bad, the harvest is started earlier. If, on the other hand, good weather is forecast, the harvest can easily be delayed by a few days. 

What happens to the grapes after the harvest? 

The harvest at Le Fonti is done by hand. Each vineyard is harvested separately as each parcel has different qualities and is then fermented separately in its own steel tanks. The grapes are checked for ripeness, rot and other damage as soon as they are picked. This means that only the "good" grapes end up in the basket. In the cellar, there is a further quality check on the sorting table before the grapes are gently removed from the stems by the destemmer. The de-stemmed, whole berries then fall into the approx. 5000 liter containers and the fermentation process can slowly begin.

The maturing cellar of Le Fonti in Panzano in Chianti

Even before the young wine is placed in wooden barrels for further maturation after fermentation, the respective blend, the cuvée, is determined, depending on the wine. Vicky and Guido are convinced that this ensures better harmony as the wine matures further, and I like to refer to this as the "early marriage" of the young wines. The wooden barrels have a volume of 225, 400 and 500 liters. After this process, the various wines spend one to two years in their barrels before they are bottled. If you would like to take a seat on the beautiful terrace and taste the wines of Le Fonti, simply register for a winery tour byemailing Vicky (vicky@fattorialefonti.it) with the code "PODCASTNINAINCHIANTI".

Wine for the episode

2020 Le Fonti Panzano Rosato Toscana IGT

Further links

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