Fattoria : San Michele a Torri : Typicity of Chianti and respect of the nature

Fattoria San Michele a Torri is an organic agricultural domain, situated not far from the city of Florence. Its vast territory is planted with not only vines, but also olive trees and other plants. It is a traditional Tuscan winery, respecting nature and biodiversity, which offers an authentic gastronomic experience, accompanied by typical wines of the region.

VertdeVin: You are located in the Chianti Colli Fiorentini area. What are the peculiarities of the terroir in this part of Chianti?
Leonardo Francalanci, estate manager: Fattoria San Michele a Torri is located in the Chianti Colli Fiorentini wine-growing area, which is the hilly area surrounding the city of Florence. Here the terroir is quite heterogeneous, consisting mainly of silty clays formed in alluvial stage, which can be traced back to the Elsa River in the Upper Pliocene, about 3 million years ago. These soils produce fruity, medium-aged wines, very modern in my opinion because they are quite immediate in drinking.

The Consorzio del Chianti Colli Fiorentini is made up of companies that have as their objective the quality of the product, which ensures that there is uniformity in the quality of the wines. This aspect is very important and is a guarantee for the customer; there are no companies that bottle Chianti Colli Fiorentini that make low-priced wines or wines that do not have quality and respect for the grape and terroir as their objective, and this is a value for money.

What is the philosophy behind your winery?
L.F.: The philosophy of our company is to get the best from the terroir we have available. We are very respectful of the grapes, we want to produce in a precise and accurate manner, arriving to harvest when the grapes are perfectly ripe; we are convinced that we must try to maintain the quality that nature gives us, so we do not make interventions in the cellar that distort the wine, but only interventions that support the characteristics that the land already gives us.

This is why we make soft wines with a great fruity note of red berries, typical of this area and of the varietal notes of Sangiovese. Quality for us means respect. Respect, of the environment, the soil, the plants and the people who work there.
We have been certified organic since 1993 precisely because we believe that the use of only natural products, respect for organic balances and biodiversity are the basis of an agriculture that respects the environment and people and is capable of producing wines of the highest quality: healthy, guaranteed and certified.

Chianti is a wine with a long history, but today many consumers choose wines from the New World, which are softer and rounder. How can Chianti attract new fans?
L.F.: It is true that Chianti has a very long history and it is also true that many consumers, especially young people, are attracted by wines from the New world.

In the meantime, I would like to say that it is absolutely not true that Sangiovese is a grape variety that is no longer in fashion. It is clear that today there are many wine-growing areas around the world that produce quality wines and it is therefore normal that the consumer’s curiosity leads him to try different things than what he is used to. What I do believe, however, is that all these very sweet wines, often also with a very high residual sugar content, wines made for pleasure, soft, round, then eventually become boring. I believe that the consumer will always return to the elegance, verticality and cleanliness of Sangiovese.
It is up to us to continue to work well with Sangiovese, with ripe grapes and with healthy grapes so that the consumer can always find in Chianti the elegance to which he is accustomed. It is clear that we must always maintain a high level of quality, otherwise we fall into banal wines that do not have an identity of their own, but this is not our case.

Sangiovese is the soul of Chianti. What for you is a classic Sangiovese?
L.F.: The ideal Sangiovese for me should be a wine with a colour that is not too pronounced. A beautiful ruby red, but quite transparent, as is found in Chianti Classico in the high zones, around 500- 600 metres above sea level. This is a characteristic of Sangiovese that I like to maintain. It must be a very clean wine on the nose, reminiscent of red fruits, as I said before, blackcurrant, black cherry, strawberry. It has to be a vinous wine, especially in the first years, and it has to
have good acidity because it has to be maintained over time, so it is good to start with a slightly
higher acidity.
It must have great elegance and cleanliness, which is what sets it apart from many other varieties. I believe that the contribution of oak must be harmonious, it must not overpower the grape, which is why in recent years we have been trying
to use fewer and fewer barriques and tonneaux in favour of large barrels, so as to have a balance between the primary aromas and those of the oak. If we can maintain this balance and bring out elegant, clean wines, Sangiovese is not afraid of
anyone.

Thanks to Leonardo Francalanci for sharing his passion
Valéria Tenison

Fattoria San Michele a Torri
Via Santa Michele, 36, 50018 Scandicci
(Firenze), Italy
www.fattoriasanmichele.it