2019 Il Molino di Grace il Volano Toscana 750 ml

Il Molino di Grace’s 2019 il Volano has everything you’d want in a weeknight Tuscan bottle. 

It’s made by a living legend who put a slew of Tuscan icons on the map: Franco Bernabei. From Fontodi’s Flaccianello, to Selvapiana’s Bucerchiale, to Felsina’s Fontalloro, he’s responsible for some of the most collectible wines in the region.

For il Volano, he works with organically farmed vineyards in the heart of Panzano. Mostly Sangiovese with a splash of Merlot for texture and richness, the grapes behind this bottle come from one of the best Italian vintages of the last decade. 

Il Molino di Grace has been on a trajectory that would embarrass Boeing’s Starliner. They achieved liftoff two decades ago, earning the title of “Emerging Vineyard of the Year” from Gambero Rosso. A few years later, they moved from top prospects to all-stars, earning a spot on Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 Wineries.

The estate lies in Panzano, in the heart of Chianti Classico. Soils here are rocky, and the vineyards have perfect southern exposition at 400 meters of elevation above sea level, ideal for ripening Sangiovese.

That’s probably why the site has been farmed continuously for over 350 years—first by monks, and now by Ohio-born Frank Grace and his sons. The Grace family has long recognized the value of organic farming, and finished their certification all the way back in 2010.

That careful farming allows them to use native yeasts in the cellar, hand-harvesting grapes well into fall. Bernabei oversees a fermentation that lasts 20 days on the skins, before pressing and then aging solely in stainless steel to preserve the wine’s beautiful fruit.