Winemaker Notes
Blend: 95% Sangiovese, 5% Colorino
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of dark cherries, mocha, leather and tea leaves. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins. Lively and fresh, with lots of red cherries and berries on the center-palate and a flavorful finish. Typical for an outstanding Chianti Classico.
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Wine Enthusiast
Autumnal aromas of baking spices and the savoriness of a freshly brewed cup of coffee are balanced by a sweet, cherry vanilla scone and a peppery edge. Cherry brightens the palate, with the savoriness maintained by herbal and stony undertones. Bright acidity bounces around firm tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Francesco Ricasoli hits it out of the ballpark even on his entry-level wines. The 2020 Chianti Classico Brolio is a terrific value with really nice, clean and simple lines. This is a classic blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Colorino, perfect for everyday drinking. It offers cherry, blue flower and earthy aromas, and it shows refreshing acidity too. Even more of an accomplishment is the fact that production is so large.
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Wine Spectator
This juicy red is marked by cherry, tomato leaf and olive flavors. Boasts bright acidity, with dusty tannins flexing on the finish. A linear, well-delineated version. Sangiovese and Colorino. Best from 2023 through 2029.
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.