2019 Il Borro Lamelle Chardonnay Toscana IGT 750 ml

Backed by a family “synonymous with Italian creativity” and a 100-point winemaker synonymous with vinous ingenuity, the 2019 Lamelle is member-favorite Il Borro’s latest dazzling creation. It’s a rare, listen-up Chardonnay that deserves a spot (or several) in the cellars and wine fridges of anyone who loves the classic white wine expressions of Sonoma or Burgundy.

The Lamelle is the product of some of Italy’s foremost winemaking expertise. Stefano Chioccioli has multiple 100-point wines and more than 70 Tre Bicchieri awards to his name. He’s crafted celebrated wines across the country at estates like Tua Rita, Livio Felluga, and more, and that pedigree is immediately apparent in this Chardonnay’s clarity, balance, and cleansing acidity. 

After a long lineup of stellar Chardonnays from our Napa backyard, this wine put an exclamation point on our day. Inviting and unoaked the Lamelle’s citrus and floral aromas, followed by a generous orchard fruit palate, moved it further up our lists with each sip. By the time we finished the bottle (which wasn’t long at all), we’d already drafted emails to try and secure an allocation before local Tuscan cafés and wine shops could jump on it. 

And it’s a good thing we did, because the Lamelle is sparse on this side of the Atlantic. 

Il Borro has a reputation for crafting wines like the Lamelle—creative, layered, unexpected in the best possible way—both among Wine Access members, who have lavished their wines with four- and five-star reviews, and among critics. Wine Advocate has praised them on multiple occasions, writing: “I can't think of many vintners with the courage and the means to apply such a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship to their wines.”

Chardonnay is more common in north Italy, around Piedmont and Friuli, but Tuscany has pockets that are paradise for the grape, like Il Borro’s Valdarno hillsides. Situated at the base of the Pratomagno Mountains, the hillside barrier locks in heat, but experiences cooler nights, perfect for consistent ripening and developing the wine’s bright acidity. During the ancient Pliocene epoch, this area was covered by a large lake, and the Lamelle is named for the seashells still present throughout the vineyard.

The 1,750-acre Il Borro estate near Arezzo—owned by Ferruccio Ferragamo, the son of footwear designer Salvatore Ferragamo—has a regal history, having twice passed through Medici hands before Ferragamo purchased it from Italian royal Duke Amedeo d'Aosta. In 1993, Ferragamo began a renovation of massive scope: He not only replanted the vineyards, but restored the game preserve, the adjacent village, and the roads and bridges that traverse the property’s four river valleys. The results, unsurprisingly, were stunning. 

From those travel-magazine vistas comes the Lamelle, a perfect combination of creativity and ingenuity, a rare and enthralling representation of Tuscan Chardonnay.