2022 Tenuta di Carleone, Chianti Classico

Sean O’Callaghan farms the high hills of Radda in Chianti, working organically across vineyards that climb between roughly 450 and 700 meters. At these elevations, cooler nights help preserve freshness even in warmer years.

The soils here are classic Radda—alberese limestone and galestro shale—two fractured stones that tend to produce structured, ageworthy Sangiovese.

Fermentations are spontaneous in concrete and steel, with about 20% whole clusters and long macerations that can stretch well past a month. The 2022 season was warm and dry across Chianti Classico, but Radda’s altitude kept the wines in balance. The result is a Sangiovese that leans into the darker side of the grape: sour cherry, dried herbs, and earth, carried by the firm structure typical of this part of Chianti Classico.