Italy · Tuscany

Poggio Scalette

Poggio Scalette is a Chianti Classico estate in the high-altitude Ruffoli hamlet of Greve, created in 1991 by Vittorio Fiore — one of Tuscany's most respected consulting oenologists — and his son Jurij. The property's centrepiece, Carbonaione, is a Sangiovese IGT sourced from a single ancient vineyard block at around 600 metres elevation, with vines averaging over 50 years of age. This extreme altitude yields wines of exceptional concentration and freshness, with natural acidity balancing dense fruit and resulting in a profile unlike lower-altitude Chianti. Carbonaione has garnered consistent critical attention from Italian wine specialists, with the 2015 vintage standing as the reference point in auction records. Across 280 lots, the estate averages $55 per bottle — a modest sum given quality, which positions it as undervalued relative to comparable Sangiovese-based wines of similar ambition. The price ceiling of $277 represents vertical lots or large-format premiums. Production is small and intentionally unhurried; Carbonaione occupies a niche between the Brunello tradition and the Super Tuscan idiom without fully belonging to either. The estate also produces a Chianti Classico and a lighter second label, though Carbonaione entirely dominates the secondary market. For collectors seeking old-vine hillside Sangiovese at accessible price points, it remains one of Tuscany's more compelling auction propositions.