Book Excerpt from Alessandro Masnaghetti’s Chianti Classico: The Complete Atlas of the UGA Vineyards

BY ALESSANDRO MASNAGHETTI | JULY 20, 2022

In this excerpt from his book Chianti Classico: The Complete Atlas of the UGA Vineyards, Alessandro Masnaghetti examines the new UGAs (Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive), Chianti Classico’s version of place names, with historical background, in-depth information on soils and detailed maps for each UGA, plus a deep dive into the Lamole UGA.

Lamole

When more than a decade ago I published the first map of the Lamole vineyards, this small Chianti hamlet, whose name is historically linked to the production of quality wine, was just emerging from a long period of oblivion. The reason might have been that there were few producers, or because the hamlets of Lamole and Casole had always been rather closed, or because the market and the critics until recently did not appreciate wines as elegant and fragrant as those from the area.

Since then, fortunately, the winds have changed year after year, so that today Lamole is one of the most esteemed areas of Chianti Classico. New plantings, new small wineries and new investments by producers from neighboring areas, however, have not undermined its traditions, spirit and landscape, so much so that for some years now Lamole has been included in the prestigious National Registry of Rural Landscapes.

That was an important step that preceded a perhaps even more significant recognition, at least for wine enthusiasts, with the introduction of the UGA of the name, which was anything but expected given its small size. Just under 1,000 total hectares, of which only 90 hectares of vineyards, make it by far the smallest UGA, with potential production of Chianti Classico that accounts for only 1 percent of the total.

Equally limited is the presence of olive trees, as typical as was once the cultivation of iris for perfumes, linked both to the type of soil—loose and therefore not subject to water stagnation—and to the traditional terracing that is still the hallmark of the Lamole landscape. Last but not least is the forest, which over 700 meters above sea level (the maximum limit for Chianti Classico vineyards) becomes the sole and undisputed protagonist.