Available in the Members Bar and Dining Room.
In the lesser-trodden reaches of central Italy, beyond the more familiar names and appellations, lies a landscape of quiet depth and confidence: Terre di Chieti, in the Abruzzo region. Defined by opposites — mountains and sea, sun and shadow, wildness and cultivation — this contrast brings a striking balance to both the land and the wines it yields.
Here, vines stretch across hillsides that rise from the Adriatic and face west toward the Apennines. The soils, a patchwork of limestone, clay, and gravel, and the shifting maritime and alpine winds create a rare equilibrium. The result is fruit that ripens steadily and grapes that carry both structure and lift.
In this setting, the Ilauri estate quietly produces a Sangiovese of remarkable clarity. Their bottling, ‘Salto’, is an expression not only of grape, but of place, a reflection of the calm discipline and subtle contrasts that define Terre di Chieti.
Sangiovese here is rendered with finesse. In Salto, one finds none of the varietal’s usual austerity, nor a heavy hand of oak or extraction. Instead, the wine is lithe, transparent, composed. It opens with redcurrant, cherry, wild strawberry, and a whisper of crushed herbs. The palate is elegant and fluid, fine tannins, lifted acidity, and a quiet persistence that leaves a memory, not a mark.
Salto is not a wine of showmanship. It speaks softly of its origins, of sunlit slopes, cooling breezes, careful hands, and thoughtful restraint. Its rhythm reflects its region: unhurried, considered, and naturally balanced.
With food, the wine reveals its truest self. Try it with pizza, pasta, or grilled meats, not with flourish, but with ease, as if it were always meant to be there. It offers harmony, not dominance; depth, not weight.
In many ways, Salto embodies the essence of Terre di Chieti: understated, generous, and quietly expressive. It doesn’t need to assert its value, only to be poured, and noticed.
And when the bottle is empty and the conversation lingers, Salto leaves something rare, not just the memory of a good wine, but the sense it understood the moment completely. Some wines speak loudly. This one listens, and in doing so, says everything.
If you’d like to enjoy this wine alongside one of our menu selections, please reserve a table by emailing [email protected].
