Alta Valle della Greve
Ruffoli - Greve in Chianti
The town of Greve in Chianti takes its name from the stream (the Greve, as it called by local residents) which runs through and whose tributaries are to be found in the hills which encircle this medieval hamlet, historically one of the major centres of production of Chianti Classico wine.
The slopes of the Greve river valley between the town and the neighbouring hamlet of Panzano, the west-facing hill of Ruffoli, is unanimously considered one of the finest of all sites for the cultivation of the vine and the olive, for obtaining maximum qualitative expression, and for producing the great wines of Chianti Classico and the splendid extra-virgin olive oil of the zone.
“Alta Valle della Greve” (Upper Valley of the Greve) is the IGT (Typical Geographical Indication) utilized for the first wines to be produced by Podere Poggio Scalette, an estate situated in this small area between Greve and Panzano in Chianti, in the center of an ample area for the production of Chianti Classico wine.
The vineyards and olive groves of Podere Poggio Scalette are located in a strip of land between 350 and 550 meters (1150-1800 feet) above sea level, a property which takes its name from the configuration of the hillside slopes, characterized as they are by lovely dry stone walls which sustain terraces of varying sizes. On these terraces vines or olive trees are planted according to the characteristics of the soil; seen from afar they give the impression of a series of staircase steps which climb the slopes of the hill of Ruffoli.