Casa Emma

CASA EMMA

Chianti Classico

San Donato in Poggio (FI), Tuscany

We've come to know Casa Emma's wines for their presence, harmony, and clarity. These wines buck the modern Tuscan trend of extraction, sheen, and oak to provide impact. While many of those examples garner "high" scores, the clarity, age-worthiness, and nobility that Sangiovese was historically prized for become lost.

In contrast, one could sum up Casa Emma's style as "cool climate restraint" - powerful in a subtle, thoughtful manner that is made possible by their prized 420-meter high amphitheater, enhanced by the uninhibited cooling wind from the sea. We think of the wines as unmistakably Tuscan and site-specific, with a feel aligned to palates that appreciate classic French wines, as opposed to palates appreciating more immediate, forward, and rich wines.

The Gran Selezione is incredibly noble and majestic - a spellbinding wine built on a haunting, ethereal perfume. It transcends what most people believe Sangiovese is capable of – for us, one of the few Sangiovese based wines we've experienced that reach the heights of noble varieties such as Petite Syrah, Nebbiolo, and Pinot Noir. We enjoy these wines accompanying food as much as we do alone from mouth-blown Grassl Cru glass.

Casa Emma has a deservedly strong following in the United States and throughout the EU, despite flying under the radar in the USA for many years because they did not have a national importer (the reasons for national representation are often based on less virtuous factors than wine quality). Their reputation greatly increased in the wake of the 2012 arrival of winemaker/viticulturist Marco Salvadori. Marco is not an advising winemaker nor is he a famous consultant: he is young, thoughtful, and believes in the quality that comes from an unwavering focus on farming and listening to the land. He has worked to first refine their longstanding approach of respectable farming.

The property itself was purchased in 1969 by Fiorella Lepri, from Florentine noblewoman Emma Bizzarri. Before the purchase, Emma and her family had abandoned the property for living full time in Florence. Dramatically, the sale was completed without the knowledge of Fiorella's husband or children. Having grown up in the countryside, the daughter of farmers, she had a vision for restoring Casa Emma and realizing its potential. The name 'Casa Emma' remains as a tribute to its history and as a reminder that the family is simply the current steward of the ancient land.

Today, Alessandro Bucalossi (Fiorella's son) works alongside general manager Paolo Paffi and winemaker/viticulturist Marco Salvadori. All three are humble, knowledgeable, and deeply passionate. Paolo has been working with Alessandro for nearly twenty years.

The farm is comprised of a striking natural amphitheater in San Donato in Poggio; the heart of Chianti Classico. Historically, the land falls within Castellina in Chianti - however, San Donato in Poggio is in the process of being legally deemed its own sub-appellation. Most acreage is home to Sangiovese, with smaller amounts of Canaiolo, Malvasia Nera, and Merlot. The cellar is in the middle of the amphitheater, encompassed by vines and eventual forest. This design follows an ancient philosophy of man enjoying what is around him by fully merging into it.

Casa Emma’s soil types are quintessential Chianti Classico - a high percentage of limestone and clay is present throughout all the vineyards, with Galestro and Albarese boulders dotting the land. Galestro is a rocky mix of clay-based soil that easily fractures into sheets, whereas Albarese is a more compact mix of clay and limestone. The high percentage of limestone throughout their soil notably contributes to well defined and high-toned aromatics.

Although positioned in a prime location within the appellation, the aspect of the land is undeniably unique from that of their neighbors. The amphitheater opens to the West at a high elevation of around 420 meters. South and North facing vines are present too, as the land naturally curves. No slope with vines is at a grade of fewer than 20 degrees. The westward opening allows cooling wind to flow freely from the Tyrrhenian Sea, a true maritime influence. This influence combined with high elevation tempers ripeness, disease pressure, and prolongs the growing season. Slow ripening across a long growing season develops detailed, complex flavors and enhances terroir expression.

The importance of these factors to quality cannot be overstated. With a few years of age, we routinely find menthol and mint beautifully radiating from the wines (especially the Gran Selezione). Aromas such as these are more typical in wines from cooler climates. In some ways, Casa Emma is a reminder of a past time when a cooler climate profile in Tuscan wines was more common.

Casa Emma has been certified organic since 2019, although pesticides and herbicides were not part of the past regimen. A small team dedicated to Casa Emma works the land with all viticulture decisions made parcel by parcel. Copper and sulfur treatments are a fraction of what other properties use, supplemented by treatment from natural seaweed extract. Natural grass growth is allowed in the vineyard with targeted planting of legumes depending on soil needs. Cutting happens up to two times per year, with the cover crop growing up to a meter high. All decisions are to promote biodiversity that in turn creates a self-regulating micro-environment.

In 2015, Marco even developed a program to introduce geese to the Vignalparco vineyard. The natural cycles of the geese have resulted in greater vineyard balance and health. Marco explained that nitrogen exchange and overall soil composition has been measurably improved by the work of the geese. The program is now expanding.

Grape selection for each wine is decided by parcel, with vine age, aspect, and elevation being key factors. This classic approach ensures that each wine is a representation of first quality grapes, from unique parcels.

All grapes are harvested based on a desirable balance between sugar and acidity. Pursuing balance over pure ripeness is worthwhile yet difficult because the proper viticulture decisions (canopy management, green harvest, etc.) need to be made quickly and in accordance with rapidly changing climatic conditions. Decisions only in pursuit of ripeness are typically simpler.

In the cellar, wines are primarily fermented in stainless steel. However, the Gran Selezione is always fermented in open-topped wooden vats and aged in prized Stockinger barrels. In the quest for greater terroir expression, concrete and amphora have now been introduced with positive early results. Aging is primarily completed in stainless steel, tonneau, and older 10hl Austrian oak barrels, depending on the wine.