Chiara Condello Le Lucciole Romagna Sangiovese Predappio Riserva 2018

This is the enormous hurdle cast upon the wines of Emilia-Romagna. Despite the large quantity of wine produced here, a disputed claim to Sangiovese's birthplace, and a viticultural heritage dating back to the 7th century BC; aside from Lambrusco, the wines of Emilia-Romagna remain somewhat of a mystery. Some of the world's most famous culinary products such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, and Aceto Balsamico originate from here. Yet, you'd be hard-pressed to find a wine professional who can point to a benchmark or personal favorite producer of Emilia-Romagna wine. Prior to sourcing wines for a Flor 4 wine club member (shameless plug), I also never fully explored the reds of this region due to the abundance of rather underwhelming wines I'd been exposed to...until now. 

Chiara Condello is an exciting young winemaker who's leading, what can best be described, as a reawakening of the region; much like Arianna Occhipinti was to Sicily and Elisabetta Foradori was to the Trentino-Alto Adige. Yes, she belongs in that category! Unlike most Romagna vineyards, she is working with high elevation vines that have been farmed organically since her 1st vintage in 2015. The soils here are limestone and clay with a unique marine fossil composition dubbed spungone. The Sangiovese here, called Sangioveto dal Cannello Piccolo Predappio are smaller, spicier bunches than the Sangiovese Grosso grown in the more familiar Tuscan regions of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. This 'Le Lucciole' (the fireflies) cuvée represents Chiara's Riserva bottling and it is nothing short of illuminating. The bouquet is brooding with black plums, currants, violets, dried roses, balsamic and cinder. A unique briny mineral-driven and velvety texture captivate as it descends towards a spicy, smokey and extremely lengthy finish. Simply put, there is an abundance of nuances and complexity to be found in this wine. There is a deeper philosophical tone of stillness in her wines that has been echoed by other well-known producers across the wine world and is captured beautifully on her website by a quote from Italian poet Franco Armino: "Today, being revolutionary means taking away more than adding, slowing down more than accelerating, means giving value to silence..."

Our top priority is for you to be delighted with your purchase from start to finish and exceed your expectations. Please don't hesitate to call or email us with any questions.

We offer loss & theft protection options at checkout for the ultimate peace of mind* See full shipping policy for terms & conditions.

All shipments require an adult signature on delivery. Please make sure an adult 21 or older will be available to sign for your package. We recommend shipping to a business address when possible.

For large corporate/studio/VIP gift orders to multiple addresses, you've come to the right place. Large studio & corporate orders have been our specialty for over 50 years. We also offer an easy Excel large order template- click here to download it. 

We ship packages Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Express (overnight & 2 day) are usually shipped the same-day if placed by Noon Pacific time.. Please call for priority overnight services. We're happy to accommodate whenever possible.

Ground orders are usually packaged and shipped within 1-3 business days after the order is placed, Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays. 

 This is a summary of our shipping & Delivery policy

View our full Shipping & Delivery policy here