Lorenzo Gatteschi

The Path

Small-scale vineyard work sits at the center of Lorenzo Gatteschi’s remit through Small Vineyards, the Italian partner of August Imports, alongside his role as winemaker at Podere Ciona. That pairing says something useful about the trade: one part vineyard attention, one part market-facing stewardship, with the same emphasis on specificity, scale, and the discipline required to carry a site’s character through to bottle. At Podere Ciona, that attention has a clear anchor in the estate’s geology. In Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany, the work is shaped by the ground beneath the vines, and Gatteschi reads that ground as a set of practical differences rather than a slogan. The craft here is observation first: knowing what the site offers, and then working with it without flattening its edges.

The Work Today

At Podere Ciona, he makes wine in Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy. The job is to hold balance in view: ripeness against restraint, texture against freshness, structure against lift. With schist, quartz, and bedrock in the mix, the wines carry a material tension that needs handling in the cellar as much as in the vineyard. Gatteschi’s approach is less about a fixed style than about reading each parcel on its own terms. That kind of work depends on close attention to site variation and on the small decisions that let those differences remain legible in the finished wine. The aim is clarity: wines that reflect region, slope, and stone without losing precision.

Career - helped found Small Vineyards — Small Vineyards - Italian partner — August Imports - winemaker — Podere Ciona, Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany

Signature

Lorenzo's signature dishes include Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva, Le Diacce, Ciona Rosé Toscana IGT, and Giuseppe Rosso. Together they sketch a portrait of his range at Podere Ciona: the depth and seriousness of Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva, the distinct personality of Le Diacce, the freshness and brightness of Ciona Rosé Toscana IGT, and the more direct, expressive tone of Giuseppe Rosso. Each name suggests a different facet of the same landscape, refracted through Gatteschi’s hand.

In Their Words “Vines that grow in schist are happier, and produce fatter, more harmonious wines, whereas the quartz and bedrock lend themselves to more angular, mineral-driven fruit.” That frame of reference is practical: different soils, different outcomes, different handling. Gatteschi treats the vineyard as a set of distinct voices, with the cellar serving as the place where those voices are kept clear rather than blended into sameness.

FAQ What is Lorenzo Gatteschi best known for today? He is best known as the winemaker at Podere Ciona in Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany.