Map of Chianti Classico from Nicolas Belfrage's "Brunello to Zibibbo"

The tendency in Chianti Classico is to focus on its four main villages: Greve in the hills of northern Chianti Classico; Radda in the center; and Castellina and Gaiole in the south. Nicolas Belfrage, M.W., states in his masterful book, "Brunello to Zibibbo," "that the question of the importance of commune is not yet answered; but it would appear that commune is much less important than it is, say in the Haut-Médoc or Côte d'Or."

In past conversations with Chianti Classico producers, I've found that the discussion often leads to their vineyard's elevation or their use of Cabernet Sauvignon or the multiple varieties of Sangiovese clones planted at their estate. So, it was with pleasure that I found myself in the company on Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti this week, and we became deeply engaged in a conversation about her family's famous estate, the Badia a Coltibuono, and their vineyards which are planted in the small, quality sub-zone of Gaiole called Monti.

Monti is a frazione (a fraction) of the village of Gaiole, and as I learned, it is the source of some of my favorite Chianti Classicos. Emanuela informed me over lunch that Monti is essentially a small range of the Apennines, some 25km long and west of the river Arno. There the soil differs from the friable, marl-like galestro soil found in much of the Classico. It is a more calcium-rich albarese, or as Emanuela stated proudly, "we have limestone." A closer look at my wine atlas showed that many of my favorite Classico estates lie in the frazione Monti, including Castello di Cacchiano, Rocca di Montegrossi, San Giusto a Rentennano, and of course Badia a Colitibuono. What is it about the character of these wines that sets them apart from the rest of the Classico? Emanuela put it best, that "only Monti can deliver the level of intensity and purity of Sangiovese" that the above mentioned estates are known for.

The result is a sense of pride which Nicolas Belfrage explains in "Brunello to Zibibbo" in a section on the Il Palazzino Estate, also located in the frazione Monti: "the growers of Monti all seem very pleased with themselves in a quiet sort of way, as if entertaining no doubt that this sub-zone, some 400 meters above sea-level, with the clayey-calcareous soil called albarese, loose and moderately fertile, with good southern exposures, is the finest in all of Chianti."