Tuesday morning came and it was time to say goodbye  to Florence. We packed and settled our accounts at Hotel Davanzati and took a cab to the rental car terminal. After observing the crazy city traffic for several days, we weren't looking forward to negotiating the twisting streets and roundabouts of Florence. As it turns out we did ok with only one turn down a one way street before making it to the outskirts of the city. We headed south toward Siena and the Chianti Classico region.  As we drew nearer to Castellina the hills grew  larger and larger. Those Tuscan "hills" began to look more like mountains. I was struck by the similarity to our own North Carolina mountains. Our little Fiat Punto was having a hard time with the hills. Note to self - Next time get a rental with at least six cylinders.

 

 

 

After about an hour we reached the tiny hamlet of Fonterutoli. The Mazzei family have owned the land since 1437 and everything and everyone in the hamlet centers around the Castello di Fonterutoli. We had a 2:00 appointment but were a little ahead of schedule so we opted to have lunch at the Osteria de Fonterutoli. We ordered a bottle of Belguardo Rose (Fonterutoli's property in the Maremma) and I had the Chickpea soup with Rosemary and a Rabbit dish. Both were excellent and the wine paired well and was refreshing on the hot afternoon. I checked the temperature back in Charlotte - 49 degrees and raining. I was thankful for the beautiful weather and made a mental note that I'd have to get down to business once we got back... 

I wasn't aware of it but Fonterutoli had recently built a new

fourteen million Euro state of the art winery down just below the hamlet. It was built into the side of a hill with gravity fed crush pad. The grapes were coming in and being sorted on the roof of the winery which was at ground level and then allowed to flow by their own weight down into the fermentation tanks. This innovation eliminated the need to pump the grapes from the destemmer to the tanks which caused the skins to break and a lot of the aroma and essence of the fruit to be lost. The reflected the notion that wine is made in the vineyard and not the winery first and foremost. Our host, David Redondi was cordial and guided us slowly into the belly of the beast, the Fonterutoli barrel room. Four levels down, hundreds of barrels rested in semi-darkness to be bottled. The builders had struck an underground stream during the room's construction and they decided to incorporate the stream into the design, using the moisture to maintain a constant 75 percent humidity level, protecting the integrity of the barrels. After the tour we went upstairs to the tasting room which overlooks the valley in  a south-facing direction. We were privileged to taste through the whole Fonterutoli line of wines as well as their holding in the Maremma and a new property in Sicily, Zisola. The wines all showed beautifully and although the Mazzei family is a large producer and embraces a modern approach to winemaking, there's something very rooted and honest in the energy at Fonterutoli. We had a great time and our host, David was the best. Unfortunately we needed to hit Montalcino before nightfall and the last thing I wanted to be doing was driving around the Tuscan Countryside at night looking for Le Ragnaie. We said our goodbyes and headed south towards Siena and points beyond. When we got to Siena it got crazy again and we took a wrong turn and had to go through the outskirts of Siena at rush hour. After what seems an eternity we finally merged with the only road into Montalcino from the north, the SR-2 and the Strada Comunale de Cannalicchio. As we approached Montalcino the sun was setting and the hillside town loomed large on the horizon. I was struck with a sense of awe at the majesty of the place and it's natural beauty. Unfortunately it was still Italy and I was driving and had to maintain my focus on the road. Montalcino is majestic and there is an energy there that I would wager few of it's inhabitants pick up on. The town is ancient and has survived numerous wars and sieges, including the recent swarm of Americans on holiday. If you want to know what Tuscany is about go to Montalcino. That is where the energy is...

We blew through town and the roundabout and drove south for a mile or so until we came to Le Ragnaie. It sits at the highest elevation in Montalcino and there was a beautiful cool breeze blowing as the sun began to set in the west. We quickly found our rooms and stashed our luggage and went out on the balcony roof of the cantina to  catch the sunset. The view was awesome and I could imagine myself living here quite easily. For the first time since we had arrived in Tuscany I began to feel free and relaxed. This was good. Soon Riccardo and Jenny arrived and we all decided to head into town for dinner. Riccardo was a restaurateur in his past life so I knew we were in for a treat. We found a parking place (no easy task in a hill town like Montalcino) and walked a short distance before coming to the Ristorante Giardino, another small local place. After getting seated Riccardo ordered up a magnum of Gravner Chardonnay 1994. This confirmed Riccardo's status in my mind as a true wine geek and member of the brotherhood, as if there were any doubts. The meal was wonderful although I can't remember everything we had after that Gravner wine. I think wild boar ragu. We finished with a current release of the 2004 Le Ragnaie which was showing beautifully. After lingering for some time and a few looks from the wait staff we knew it was time to go. We  headed down to the town square to continue the festivities a local enoteca that Riccardo knew. It was in the town square in the shadow of the famous Montalcino Belltower. Sitting there drinking a single malt Islay " Suddenly I had a sense of just how small a world we live in and a great warm feeling came over me. Or was it the Scotch? In any event it was good and I was happy. We drove back to Le Ragnaie that night content, well fed and looking forward to the adventures that awaited us the next day...