Fèlsina Winery

On the south-eastern edge of the Chianti Classico, in Castelnuovo Berardenga, where the appellation merges into the warmer, more open landscapes of the Crete Senesi, lies Fèlsina - a winery that stands like no other for the serious, profound interpretation of the Sangiovese called "Fontalloro" and "Rancia".the geological starting point is decisive here: calcareous marl soils, clayey inclusions and stony areas alternate in a small area and create a remarkable differentiation of the sites. Since the takeover by the shipowner Domenico Poggiali in the 1960s, the focus here has been consistently on independence - long before the term "terroir" became a buzzword in Chianti. Sangiovese still takes centre stage today, not as part of an international cuvée, but as an independent expression of its origin. While many wineries in the 1980s and 1990s favoured Cabernet or Merlot, Fèlsina deliberately stuck to the local material - with the result that its wines are now among the clearest references for classic Chianti. This is particularly impressive in wines such as "Rancia", a single-vineyard Chianti Classico Riserva, which combines power, depth and structure with a cool, almost taut flavour. Fontalloro", which is produced outside the appellation boundaries and bridges the gap between Chianti Classico and Colli Senesi, is even freer.