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Wine Tasting Adventure

2024 Cleto Chiarli, `Lambrusco del Fondatore` - Liberty

£12.99 GBP
£12.99 GBP

Lambrusco’s history is closely linked to the Chiarli family. In 1860 Cleto Chiarli founded Emilia-Romagna’s first wine-producing company, following the success of the homemade Lambrusco he served at his Modena restaurant ‘Osteria dell’Artigliere’. In 2001 Mauro and Anselmo Chiarli, Cleto’s great-grandsons and current company owners, decided to build a new winery under the founder’s name, Cleto Chiarli.

The Chiarli estate comprises over 100 hectares of vineyards planted on the alluvial deposits typical of the Padana plain. The Tenuta Cialdini is named after General Enrico Cialdini, a famous Italian patriot of the Risorgimento. It lies at the foot of the hills, in the Castelvetro municipality. Here the soils are mainly composed of silt on a gravel substratum, which contribute to the production of excellent, intensely coloured Grasparossa grapes defined by a fruity bouquet. The estate also has seven hectares of Pignoletto vineyards, which are key to producing Chiarli’s best whites.

The Tenuta Sozzigalli lies to the north of Modena close to the Secchia River, an area well suited for the growth of Sorbara grapes. The soil here comprises clayey silt, which lends itself to Sorbara’s peculiar light red colour. Due to its long and scrupulous selection, the vineyards contain the best clones of this ancient grape variety.

The Lambrusco di Sorbara ‘Vecchia Modena’ sees a light maceration followed by slow fermentation with selected yeasts in sealed stainless-steel tanks. The resulting sparkling wine is then aged at low temperatures on its lees for almost three months. It has a deep rosé colour, with notes of strawberry and brushwood complemented by a fresh, mineral palate.

The ‘Lambrusco del Fondatore’ has a traditional vinification, through natural in-bottle fermentation followed by six-months of ageing. Deep ruby red in colour, the nose reveals notes of wild berries and blackberries. On the palate, the wine is characterised by lovely freshness and powerful acidity, with a persistent fruity finish. The ‘Moden Blanc’ Brut is light straw-yellow in colour, slightly aromatic and fruity with a delicate palate. After a soft pressing with both whole and de-stemmed bunches, fermentation takes place in sealed stainless-steel tanks at low temperatures. The Rosé is made of 100% Grasparossa grapes. Soft pressing with whole and destemmed bunches was followed by the first and only fermentation at controlled temperatures with selected yeasts in stainless steel Charmat tanks.

The vineyards planted with Sorbara are located in the Tenuta Sozzigalli, the area best-suited for the growth of this variety, to the north of Modena close to the Secchia River. The soil is made up of clayey silt, key to the wine's peculiar light red colour. The vines are planted at a density of 3,300 vines per hectare. They are trained to a double curtain (GDC), and are suitable both for mechanical and manual pruning and picking.

The 2024 vintage benefited from favourable conditions throughout the growing cycle. Winter delivered regular rainfall with seasonally appropriate temperatures, while spring was characterised by warmth and rain that encouraged vigorous vegetative growth across all varieties. Summer continued the pattern of warm, rainy weather, promoting healthy fruit development. The consistent moisture and temperatures resulted in excellent grape health at harvest.

The grapes were harvested both by hand and machine, then immediately crushed and destemmed. Maceration lasted for 12 hours at controlled temperatures. For this wine only the freshest must was selected, which was clarified and cold stabilised immediately after harvest. The first and only fermentation, which took place at around 16°C with selected yeasts, began in stainless steel and finished, without filtration, in the bottle.

Deep ruby red, with a light and coloured froth. The nose reveals fragrant notes of wild berries and blackberries. The palate is characterised by a lovely freshness, with a powerful backbone of acidity that complements the light but persistent fresh fruit flavours. The wine has a full mouthfeel, ending in a delicate but long finish.