Poggio Scalette Chianti Classico 2012
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A very food-friendly wine that can be paired with a number of dishes including rosemary roasted lamb, tomato based sauces, and hearty chicken stews.
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Made from 100% Sangiovese, this opens with a lovely floral fragrance of violet and iris. Ripe sour cherry dominates the palate accented by toasted notes and black pepper. Even though it's not complex, the juicy fruit and smooth tannins make this friendly and delicious.
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Poggio Scalette takes its name from the landscape, which is characterized by dry, stone walls supporting terraces on which the vineyards and olive groves are planted. From a distance the impression is of a series of stairs climbing the slopes of Greve. After the death of its previous owner, Poggio Scalette remained abandoned for years until Vittorio Fiore, one of Italy’s most famed winemakers, discovered the property in 1991 with his wife, Adriana. In 1996, 42 additional acres of land became available, enabling them to expand. It was discovered that the plot of land known as Il Carbonaione was the first area to be replanted after World War I (1914-1918), which means these vines, more than 90 years old, are a rare example of the original clone of the famous Sangiovese di Lamole variety in the Chianti Classico area. The slopes of the Greve Valley are without question some of Italy’s most ideal locations for vineyards and olive groves. The combination of exposure and soil composition contributes to the excellent quality of the wines and the extra virgin olive oils of the area. Named for the river that passes through as it travels from a medieval hilltop town, this area happens to be one of the most important historical centers of the Chianti Classico region. Il Carbonaione, Poggio Scalette’s signature wine, is the culmination of knowledge and experience and therefore an important message of quality. Vittorio Fiore dedicates this wine to Tuscany and to Sangiovese — the region and the variety that have allowed him to fulfill his aspirations to produce superb wine.
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.