Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico Riserva 2013
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Pair with grilled meat, game dishes and semi-aged cheeses.
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The winery is named after a 19th century historic windmill located on the property near the cantina. However, the viticultural history of the property is much older–the vineyards at Il Molino di Grace have been fruitful for over 350 years. When Frank Grace first purchased the property in 1995, there was no winery: all the grapes were sold to local producers. Using the site of a ruined barn, Grace, together with winery manager Gerhard Hirmer, designed and built a state of the art winery. The winery opened its doors in 1999 and today, all of our wines are estate produced and bottled using organic materials and sustainable practices in both the vineyard and cantina.
At Il Molino di Grace, we strive to produce elegant wines that are an expression of terroir through the Sangiovese grape coupled with a careful use of oak for aging the wine.
The philosophy of utilizing a sustainable approach to wine making is a critical component of our approach at Il Molino di Grace. Vineyards have existed on the property for over 350 years. There is an ancient Etruscan path that winds its way through the vineyards – and the winery itself is named after a local historic landmark, "the windmill" located on the property near the cantina. The history of the property is an essential component of the present and future of Il Molino di Grace.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.