Since I wasn't renting a car this time around, I was rather restricted in places I could reasonably travel to given that most wineries open for visits are not easily accessible, if at all, by train or bus. In the tours that popped up on my screen after booking my stay in Siena, one particular winery appeared to be well within my transportation options. Indeed, I ended up walking to the cantina as it was located only about 2 miles from the town center of Siena, and the weather had turned quite sunny and pleasant after a few days of unseasonably cold, windy and rainy conditions.
Located so close to the town, one would not have expected to enjoy such lovely, picturesque landscapes, and vineyards. The Azienda Agricola "La Lastra" lalastra.it is quite small in terms of hectares under vine and total production and as such, it is not surprising that the quality of wines is quite high, even at very reasonable price points.
As soon as I sauntered into the gravel courtyard, I was greeted by a couple of young women (in fact, a mother and daughter) who, along with a gaggle of four or five other American co-eds plus one other mother, were already well on their way in enjoying the libations produced on site. They were not, in fact, doing the tour, but just came to savor the wine, and take in the beauty of the surrounding countryside. We enjoyed getting to know each other and telling travel stories as I waited for other participants in the upcoming tour.
Our guide and host, Lorenzo, was a young, tall and good-looking fellow with curly, tousled hair and an easy-going nature about him, which belied the depth of his knowledge of the grape-growing and vinification processes, let alone the wine business at large and tasting expertise. In fact, he had grown up working in the winery as a young boy before studying enology at the local university and subsequently spending a year in Napa to further his wine education and hands-on experience. (I'd introduced myself before the tour began, and chatted with him in Italian, though the tour would be in English as everyone else in the tour group were Americans. His English was perfectly fluent.)
Lorenzo began our formal visit with a stroll over to the vineyards where he proceeded to give an extended explanation of the efforts and challenges involved in planting, maintaining and harvesting the vineyards as we took in the stunning views of the rolling hills replete with several different varietals and dotted with small olive groves. (The intricacies of wine cultivation and production were perhaps more than the average consumer really cares to know about, but I, as a self-confessed wine nerd, certainly appreciated hearing him expound at length on such details.)
Sangiovese, the main varietal used in their Colli Senesi Chianti, constitutes the lion's share of the plantings, but Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Trebbiano, among a few other varietals are also grown and vinified. (We were soon to be treated to a tasting of many of these varietals, either in a blend or as a single varietal.)
Next on the itinerary was a brief visit to the barrel room where Lorenzo explained the production processes and facilities and how it all comes together to create high quality wines to be appreciated by the discerning consumer.
All these educational and informative precursory exposés naturally led, of course, to the part of the tour everyone most looked forward to - the actually tasting and appreciation of the wines accompanied by a light meal of local specialties.
If I remember correctly, we then tasted the Chianti Colli Senesi, a delightful, quintessential Sangiovese-based red from the hillside vineyards outside Siena,
Lest I forget, I need to make note of the serving of ravioli pasta, salami, cheese, salad, and heirloom tomatoes which was just the right, light pairing for the wines, and in fact, the delicious buttery, cheesy ravioli was the best pasta dish I tasted on this particular trip to Italy.
