Tuscany, Italy
Lamole, a small piece of land nestled on the slopes of Monte San Michele. For centuries, “lamulae” (flat parcels of land on a steep slope) have been considered particularly suited to vine growing. Lorenzo De'Medici appreciated the wine of Lamole and the Grand Duke Emanuele Repetti emphasized the fact that Lamole could only be reached on foot, and that the vines planted among the stones of this hill produced a much-praised fine wine. The Socci family is first mentioned in Lamole in 1071. The family was in the Val di Greve League in the 1600s, holding the prestigious communal office of gonfalonier. Giovanni Socci (1834-1926) was born in Lamole and settled in Siena to practice as a notary. He was able to acquire property similar to that of the original historic family members. Giovanni’s son, Carlo Socci (1882-1952), also a notary, brought the family estate back to life after the ravages of phylloxera. In this he was helped by Livio Piccini, to whom the wine is dedicated, Le Viti di Livio (or Livio’s vineyards). In 1924 Carlo Socci (1919-1969) was a founding member of the Chianti Classico Consorzio. Giorgio, Carlo’s son, managed the company’s transition from sharecropping to direct management. And from 2003, Giorgio’s son Paolo Socci has been in charge, his mission to recover the old dry stone terraced vineyards and ancient pre-phylloxera clones of Sangioveto di Lamole.