Winemaker Notes
Intense, deep ruby red color with subtle glimmers of garnet. The wine shows a splendid, full nose with hints of blackberries and pleasant notes of tobacco and spice. In the mouth, the wine is soft with an elegant, fresh finish and a persistent, generous acidity in the aftertaste. Full of mature tannins and fruitiness.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of flowers and fresh cherries with hints of lemon rind, following through to a medium body with lively, vivid fruit and an energetic finish. Compressed palate. Very refined for the hot vintage. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made with organically farmed grapes, this offers enticing aromas of camphor, blue flower, new leather and dark spice. The smooth, delicious palate delivers ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, star anise and tobacco framed in taut, fine-grained tannins. Editors’ Choice
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A certified organic wine, the 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva shows the richness of the vintage with cherry confit and raspberry tart. The wine is almost all Sangiovese with complementary varieties Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo and Colorino. The time-honored formula for making this wine has a history that dates back almost as long as this landmark estate in Gaiole in Chianti. There is a pretty mineral signature that adds clarity and focus.
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Wine & Spirits
This Riserva represents a selection of the estate’s best grapes and then the best casks after the first year of aging. The 2017 is dark and dense, with compact, chewy tannins that frame the black-cherry flavors. Notes of licorice and dried herbs add a distinctively Tuscan flair.
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.