We discovered Giovanna Morganti’s wine in the spring of 2000 in a wine shop in Gaiole-in-Chianti. Captivated by the ‘naïve’ label – drawn by Giovanna’s mother Lucia — we had to taste the wine, and it was glorious, pure, artful Chianti Classico. Thus began a journey to find the winemaker, and bring the wine to Ontario.

A year later we finally met Giovanna, and tasted more of her remarkable wines while learning about her process and her philosophy. She made only one wine — Chianti Classico ‘Le Trame’, and of course, she made so little that she had nothing to offer a new client. But she did introduce us to some like-minded friends – Giovanna Tiezzi & Stefano Borsa (of Pâcina), Fabrizio Tomas & Stephan Giesen, who made the wines that were destined to become Plantamura, Santa Lucia and Valdibella. Really, we have Giovanna to thank for connecting us to several of the natural wineries we represent 20 years later. After visiting annually for 3 years, Giovanna realized we weren’t going away, and we were able to get a small allocation of 2001 ‘Le Trame’.

Podere Le Boncie is located in the hamlet of San Felice, a few km north of Castelnuovo Berardenga in Chianti Classico. ‘Le Trame’ roughly translates as ‘the intrigues’ — a subtle acknowledgement of the challenge involved in acquiring this remarkable 3 hectare vineyard. Giovanna trained at the seminal San Felice estate, where her father was managing director for many years, before launching Le Boncie in 1990.

Planted at very high density (7000 vines per hectare) the vineyard is primarily Sangiovese, with a few rows of Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Mammolo, Prugnolo and gorgeous block of bush-trained (alberello) Fogliatonda for blending. Indigenous yeast fermenation takes place in small, open-top wooden tanks, followed by aging in 500-litre ‘tonneaux’ and 1500-litre ‘botti’. The vineyard is farmed organically and harvested by hand; production embraces biodynamic philosophy and non-interventionist methods. This is glorious wine, impressive for its purity and grace. Le Trame is a structured, age-worthy wine, surely what the best of Chianti Classico has to offer…

In 2006, Giovanna acquired the rights to an exquisite 1.5-hectare vineyard she calls Chiesa Monti, almost within walking distance from the cellar. The name ‘5’ (or il Cinque) refers to the 5 grape varieties that make up the wine — Sangiovese, Mammolo, Colorino, Fogliatonda & Ciliegiolo – among other cosmic and earthly references. ‘5’ is treated in a similar manner to Le Trame but fermented in inox, and aged in wood for between 15 and 18 months, versus Le Trame's 24 months.

Giovanna is an outspoken advocate of natural farming and non-interventionist winemaking. Since the 2011 vintage, she has opted out of the Chianti Classico DOCG, labeling both her wines as IGT Toscana. This move was in reaction to changes that Giovanna believes (along with several other wineries in our portfolio) serve the large commercial producers, while no longer reflecting the quality and dedication of artisan wineries. Full disclosure – while the Chiesa Monti vineyard is located within Chianti Classico, as is Le Boncie, it was never registered with the Consorzio, so never qualified as Chianti Classico.

We recommend cellaring Le Trame for at least 5 years after the vintage, preferably 10 years. You’ll be rewarded with personality, complexity and texture that are found only in the greatest Tuscan wines. 5 is a little more forward / less structured, and ready to drink while you patiently wait for your Le Trame to evolve. These are thoughtfully produced, handcrafted wines made in very small lots.