Le Chiuse is an organic estate winery in Località Valdicava in the Montalcino region of Tuscany. it was established in the late 1980s. Red wines are made under the Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Le Chiuse produces about 25-30,000 bottles of wine annually divided between Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva and a bottle-fermented classic method sparkling wine called Stellare. The estate also produces extra virgin olive oil, grappa and honey.

The name: The name of the estate refers to wooden blocks used to close (‘chiuso’) or dam the canal that runs to the north-east of the estate (where the Canalicchio estates lie). This area was used for cereal growing in former times, and the water was needed for this.

Owner: The estate came into the possession of the the Biondi-Santi family at the end of the 18th century as a dowry of Maria Tamanti when she married Clemente Santi. Their daughter Caterina married Jacopo Biondi and their son Ferruccio, the great grandfather of Simonetta Valiani, respected his mother’s wishes and added her surname Santi to the family name. Ferruccio Biondi Santi, after having fought alongside Garibaldi, continued the work of his grandfather Clemente by selecting and enhancing vines until he obtained a particular clone of Sangiovese Grosso that became the source of the original Brunello di Montalcino.

Ferruccio’s son Tancredi bequeathed Le Chiuse and two other properties to his daughter Fiorella, urging her never to sell the estate because it was there that the grapes for Biondi-Santi’s famous Brunello Riserva originated. From then on Fiorella leased the farms to her brother Franco, owner of the renowned Il Greppo estate, who cultivated the vineyards and vinified the grapes until 1990. When Fiorella died in 1986, her daughter Simonetta Valiani began to produce her own Brunello from Le Chiuse. She worked with her husband Nicolò Magnelli and son Lorenzo in restoring the estate buildings and chapel, constructing an underground cellar and planting new vineyards.

Staff: Viticultural consultant Stefano Dini.

Vineyards: The estate covers 18 hectares comprising vineyards, olive groves and woods. The estate’s 8ha of vines are in two places across five Sangiovese vineyards. Part is on the northeastern side of the Montalcino hill at 300 metres above sea level and facing Montosoli; and part is on the southeastern slope at 500 metres above sea level.

– Le Chiuse (winery vineyard): 7ha, meaning most of the vines are by the winery (6.7ha of Brunello, and 0.3ha of Rosso) in Località Valdicava. The vines occupy Montalcino’s sloping northern flank, facing north-east at around 300 metres (984 feet). This is said to be among Montalcino’s coolest terroirs, hence fruit from here was used by the Biondi-Santi family in their Riserva, providing acidity and structure for long ageing potential.

– Località Pullera: 1ha of Brunello at Località Pullera, near Il Greppo. This was replanted in Nov 2013. Two rootstocks. 370-380 metres.

Viticulture: Vine density of 3,500-4,500 vines per hectare. Trained to spurred cordon. Most vines derived from a massal selection of very old Sangiovese Grosso from the Biondi Santi Il Greppo estate. The terrain, of marine origin, is rich in fossil matter combined in clay striations with a notable presence of schistous galestro and tufa. This composition favours wines of rich aromas, full body and well-balanced alcohol levels.

Canopy management: All the vines are spur pruned to double cordons. Every other row is grassed (mown). Lorenzo Magnelli told me (visit 10 June 2014) that he likes sailing and “likes the leaf canopy to form a sail which has neither holes in nor is too dense. Each leaf must work, meaning each leaf must see the light. And this means each shoot must be positioned vertically so it has its own space and does not block or cross over either of its neighbours.” Shoots are positioned by hand. Only basal water shoots are removed for aeration (the first one or two). The tops are trimmed by machine. A green harvest is effected. There are 6 shoots per vine, with 2-3 bunches each, and this is reduced to 1-2 bunches per shoot. Two or three people do the shoot positioning.

Exports: Lorenzo Magnelli told me (visit 10 June 2014) that 30-50% went to the USA, 25% each to Italy and the rest of the world.

Sparkling wines

2011 Debut. Trial. Traditional method. 100% Sangiovese. 1,300 bottles. 24m on yeast. | 2012 None made. | 2013 2,600 bottles.

Pink wines

Rosato: Trialled in 2009 and 2010.

Red wines

Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Le Chiuse: Lorenzo Magnelli told me (visit 10 June 2014) that this spends 8 months in wood. | 2004 very deep, weighty and intense, wild fruit was arguably the deepest Rosso 2004 I tasted (Anteprima 2006). | 2007 Clear fruit (Millésime Bio 2009). | 2009 12,000 bottles. Clear flavours, light colour (Anteprima 2011). | 2011 10,000 bottles. Nice weight style (Anteprima 2013). | 2012 10,000 bottles. 8 months in botti. Plump, has depth, like a block of wine, not overoaked (Anteprima 2014). | 2013 9,000 bottles. Quite wide, plenty of fruit if a bit burnt (Anteprima 2015). | 2014 17,000 bottles. Plenty of fruit, primary, firm but not over-extracted, nice aromas (Anteprima 2016).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Le Chiuse: Lorenzo Magnelli told me (visit 10 June 2014) he wants a wine which is ‘balsamic, not over-extracted, fresh, and zippy,’ adding the wine ferments in steel, is run off, does its MLF, and goes to botti at the end of November. 36 months in 20hl, 30hl and 50hl oak botti. Bottled unfiltered. | 1993 Valiani and Magnelli’s debut Brunello di Montalcino. | 2000 some fizz and VA, but decent weight/flavour in a cool style, a bit dry, lacking fruit (Anteprima 2005). | 2001 Restrained fruit and a crisp, powerful finish plus VA and chocolate (Anteprima 2006). | 2004 Clear fruit (Millésime Bio 2009). | 2006 Tangy fruit, ripe, has Mediterranean feel with a spine (Anteprima 2011). | 2007 was still in wood in Feb 2011. Clean, clear and crisply austere ‘but it will age, it was a high acid year and we are on cold soils anyway producing low yields,’ Nicolò Magnelli told me (Anteprima 2013). | 2008 More fluid compared to the 2009 (Anteprima 2014). | 2009 12,000 bottles. Some pepper, bit closed, sweet fruit, some jam at end (Anteprima 2014). 14.5%. L13/03. Nice mid-weight cedar, crisp and rich. Lacks a little clarity but not bad at the Consorzio Tues 27th May 2014 with Ian d’Agata and others. | 2010 12,000 bottles. Crisp, quite backward (Anteprima 2015). | 2011 Nice flesh to the fruit over what are rich tannins, a bit over-extracted but good as has freshness (Anteprima 2016). | 2012 Not tasted.

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Le Chiuse: Lorenzo Magnelli told me (visit 10 June 2014) that the Riserva spends 48 months in botti of 30hl (of which there are two) = 4,000 bottles. Unfiltered. | 1995 Produced. | 1997 Produced. | 1999 Produced. | 2000 Soft ripe fruit with some chocolate, lacks a bit of a middle but decent, elegant (Anteprima 2006. | 2001 Produced. | 2004 Dense tannin, very good typicity I think, lovely and clear, taut acid (Anteprima 2011). | 2005 No 2005 Brunello Riserva was made because ‘it lacked the necessary structure,’ Nicolò Magnelli told me. | 2006 Not tasted. | 2007 A bit blunt, then quite openknit (Anteprima 2014). | 2009 3,600 bottles. Nice limpid colour, very nice weight/savoury, mint and jam but not overripe, confident, has density, ascribed by Lorenzo to smaller grapes) (Anteprima 2015).

Other activities: Agritourism, five appartments to rent.

Contact

Business address: Azienda Agricola Le Chiuse, Località Pullera, 228 53024 Montalcino (SI), Italy

Tel+39 055 597052 | www.lechiuse.com

Winery address: Azienda Agricola Le Chiuse, Loc. Valdicava, 53024 Montalcino (SI), Italy

Sales: Raeburn Fine Wines (UK).