Why it matters
The producer
Fattoria Le Fonti sits just below the village church of Panzano in Chianti, at 450 metres above sea level, with about nine hectares of Sangiovese vines arranged in a horseshoe around the winery. The Schmitt-Vitali family arrived in 1994 and immediately pulled out every vine on the property, replanting with rootstocks and plant material chosen for the altitude and soil. Thirty years later, Vicky Schmitt-Vitali leads the estate, having taken over from her father Konrad; her daughter Greta has joined the business, making this a working three-generation operation.
The range covers all three tiers of the Chianti Classico DOCG hierarchy and adds Fontissimo, an IGT Supertuscan whose blend has been rewritten three times since its launch in the 1990s. Annual production is approximately 45,000 bottles.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Panzano in Chianti is a hill village in the Conca d'Oro, a south-facing amphitheatre of vineyards in the northern half of Chianti Classico. The Alta Valle della Greve runs below the village, and the cooler air that pools at 450 metres slows the final weeks of Sangiovese ripening. The vineyards lie in the Alta Valle della Greve at approximately 450 metres.
On a label, Panzano sits within the Chianti Classico DOCG, which covers the historic zone between Florence and Siena. Chianti Classico wines must use Sangiovese as the primary grape, and the three quality tiers, Chianti Classico, Riserva, and Gran Selezione, require progressively longer ageing before release. Panzano's altitude places it on the cooler end of the appellation, which tends to push acidity higher and deepen the colour without adding weight.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The vineyards cover about nine hectares, replanted entirely since 1994 with site-selected rootstocks. Farming has been certified organic since 2019 and the estate also manages more than 1,500 olive trees on the remaining land.
Grapes are selected before they enter the cellar, and further selection happens before bottling, with only the best lots released under the Le Fonti label. The Chianti Classico spends time in oak before release; the Riserva receives longer oak ageing and greater selection from the harvest. Fontissimo is matured in barrel, which contributes to its darker, fuller character relative to the Chianti Classico range. The Gran Selezione completes the hierarchy at the top of the DOCG pyramid.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range is built around three Chianti Classico tiers and one Supertuscan IGT.
The Chianti Classico blends Sangiovese with small additions of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. At this level the wine is the most approachable in the range: the Sangiovese gives red cherry and dried herb character, the Merlot adds a little softness to the mid-palate, and the Cabernet Sauvignon sharpens the back end. Oak is present but not the dominant note.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Chianti Classico Riserva. It is Sangiovese-led, oak-aged, and drawn from a tight selection of the estate's best fruit from that vintage. The wine is firm but not severe: the acidity from the high-altitude vines runs through it from first sniff to finish, keeping the red cherry and dried-herb fruit alive alongside the tannin. At this tier the Le Fonti house character becomes legible: altitude-fresh Sangiovese, careful selection, and oak used to frame rather than fill. It is also the most instructive step on the Chianti Classico ladder, sitting between the approachable base wine and the longer-aged Gran Selezione.