Roberto Bianchi's wines at Val Delle Corti, Radda in Chianti: fruit, freshness, simply Sangiovese.
Mid-January 2023, the Langhe empties out and Paoletta and I take advantage of my mother's birthday to spend a couple of days in Chianti. An essential stop is Val delle Corti, a winery I absolutely want to visit after having recently tasted some of their wines. The weather seems totally adverse: a storm is forecast in Tuscany. Well, looking at it now, as soon as we arrived, it doesn't seem like it at all...
Upon arriving in Radda, the day is beautiful, and after meeting Roberto, we move to the terrace overlooking the winery's vineyards. Roberto tells us the story of Val delle Corti: in 1974, his father Giorgio escaped the Milanese chaos in search of a beautiful tale in a still wild territory where he could make wine. He arrived here in Radda, a small town in the central Chianti area, still pristine and not yet battered by mass tourism. We are talking about approximately 50 years ago, and I would like to draw your attention to the climate: in '74, the most suitable areas of the Chianti territory were others, the warmer ones, with exposures that were once defined as "better": to the South.
Radda, on the other hand, is one of the freshest areas of Chianti, thanks to a higher altitude and the proximity of mountains and woods.
Today, in 2023, Radda in Chianti is undoubtedly the Chianti area where we can seek finesse, elegance, and balance. Roberto's vineyards are mainly east-facing and are affected by a particularly cool microclimate, blessed even in the hottest summers. As he learned from his father Giorgio, who passed away in 1999, Roberto cultivates his vineyards with minimal intervention, practicing organic and partly biodynamic agriculture. The approach to everything done in the cellar is one of absolute respect for the grape, Sangiovese, and the sole objective is to enhance its characteristics, bringing it to its maximum expression.
We go into the cellar, because indeed it has become windy, and it's also particularly cold!
The cellar is human-sized; steel tanks, large wooden barrels, and some old tonneaux are in two adjacent rooms.
Fermentations take place in steel, and for the two Chianti labels, the method Roberto learned from the great winemakers of Langa, like Giuseppe Rinaldi, which in Tuscany they call "la piemontesina," or "steccatura del cappello" (cap punching down), is used: wooden planks are placed over the cap, pushing it downwards; subsequently, the tank is refilled to keep the skins in contact with the wine for a slow and gentle extraction of all the noble substances contained in them. The maceration time varies from vintage to vintage, and Roberto chooses based on his sensitivity.
We taste the new vintages from the tank and uncork a few bottles to compare with the current vintage. Freshness is the common thread running through all the tastings: an intact, protected fruit that reveals itself slowly but inexorably, with spicy and earthy notes as a backdrop. We start with Lo Straniero, a wine made from 65% Sangiovese grapes and 35% Merlot, then move on to Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva, two expressions of the Radda in Chianti territory that surprise with their combination of complexity and agility on the palate. We finish with On y Danse, a Bordeaux blend interpreted by Val Delle Corti in the Val Delle Corti style.
Discover the wines of Val Delle Corti!
Meanwhile, it starts hailing outside, looks like these forecasts weren't so far-fetched after all.
So cold! We head towards the car, exchanging a few words and the promise of a visit to the Doglianese area, perhaps accompanied by a day of tasting at a wine shop. It starts snowing, which hasn't happened in at least a decade in Chianti. Maybe it's better not to take holidays?
