Il Muro Lama Chardonnay di Toscana IGT

Il Muro Lama Chardonnay di Toscana IGT is grown on galestro-rich soils in the hills near the Alpe di Poti, where dramatic day-night temperature swings preserve acidity and intensify aromatics in a grape more commonly associated with cooler French appellations. The Pancaro family has farmed this estate in Tuscany for two centuries, and the Lama bottling takes its name from one of the historic poderi — small tenant farms under the old mezzadria sharecropping system — that once dotted the property. This is Tuscan Chardonnay with site specificity, not international style. Fattoria Il Muro sits on hilly terrain that slopes toward the Castro stream valley, and the proximity to the Alpe di Poti creates a microclimate that allows the Pancaros to farm with minimal intervention. The galestro soils — fractured shale common to parts of Chianti — lend minerality and structure to varieties like Sangiovese and, in this case, Chardonnay. The strong diurnal shifts keep the fruit fresh through warm summers, and the family has maintained environmentally friendly practices across their vineyards and olive groves for generations. The podere system that gave this wine its name was a defining feature of Tuscan agriculture until the mid-twentieth century, when sharecropping gave way to family ownership. The nose shows elder flower and fresh orchard fruit, the hallmark of Chardonnay grown in cooler pockets of warm-climate regions. The palate is clean and fruit-forward, with mineral acidity that balances without sharpness — galestro at work. This is unoaked Chardonnay built for food: pair it with roast chicken, mild seafood pasta, or sheep's-milk pecorino. It drinks well slightly chilled and works as an aperitivo wine in warmer months. The style is closer to Chablis than California, with restraint and lift rather than weight. Il Muro Lama Chardonnay di Toscana IGT is available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.