Montepeloso

When Fabio Chiarelotto, a trained historian, purchased the Montepeloso estate in 1998, it was already well on its way to international stardom. While Chiarelotto could have rested on that reputation, he understood the estate was only beginning to reach its full potential.

The winery draws from hillside vineyards around the town of Suvereto, just a few miles inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The region’s petrified clay soils, and its temperate, Mediterranean climate, give startling intensity of flavor to its wines. It’s little wonder that a half-dozen estates have sprung up there over the past 20 years.

Chiarelotto began the first leg of his journey by painstakingly reshaping the estate’s vineyards. Foreign varieties were slowly replaced with local varieties and/or heritage clones that were more closely in tune with his vineyards. He focused on healthy cultivation of his vineyards, and finding a balance for the vines that would allow them to thrive in Suvereto’s warm, dry summers. 

While early progress was steady, the 2006 vintage marked the beginning of this estate’s “mature phase.” The vineyards were finally rehabilitated, and Fabio had settled on a mix of varieties that expressed the essence of Montepeloso—many of them varieties that the ancient Etruscans cultivated on these very hills. His experiments in winemaking and élévage had shown him the right balance for each wine. Chiarelotto continues refining the wines to this day, as, Montepeloso’s wines rank among the most beautiful, profound, and expressive in Tuscany.