Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red color. Rich and complex nose, which recalls ripe red fruits, spices and sweet notes of vanilla. In the mouth, it is voluminous, with structured, appreciable tannins. Long and persistent finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A restrained and classic wine with aromas of smoke, woodland, graphite, leather, dried cherries and potpourri. Medium-bodied, this shows refined tannins, a velvety texture, crisp acidity and a chewy, dynamic finish with tension and balance. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
A mouthwatering version, this red delivers plum, cherry, floral, earth, olive and bay flavors. Backed by vibrant acidity and resonant tannins, leaving a long, expansive finish. Elegant and intense. Best from 2027 through 2040.
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Decanter
The selection for Brolio’s annata and Riserva is made in the cellar. Lots chosen for the Riserva spend longer in tonneaux, of which about 30% are new. The 2022 demonstrates a sturdier backbone and greater stamina than its annata counterpart released last year. A restrained yet classic character recalls wild sweet herbs and tangy forest berries with earthy and vanilla accents intertwining. The tannins sport a supple chew. Completely approachable now but should become more expressive with time.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In the bottle with the black label, the Barone Ricasoli 2022 Chianti Classico Riserva Brolio is approachable and accessible, with a somewhat rich texture and a little less definition in terms of aromas. You get standard dark cherry, blue flower and earthy tones, but these flavors feel a little softer in this 100% Sangiovese. The wine has good volume and depth.
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Vinous
The 2022 Chianti Classico Riserva Brolio offers up scents of blackberry, espresso, liquorice, menthol and lavender. Generous and resonant, yet also very much medium in body, the 2022 is very attractive. It's quite the powerhouse.
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.