Winemaker Notes
Ruby red color. The nose is ethereal, with hints of cherry, light balsamic notes and sweet almond. In the mouth, it is voluminous, with well-structured and typical tannins of the ancient river terrace of Brolio.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has lots of energy with a crunchy and vivid sense to it. Sour cherry, orange peel and cedar undertones. It’s medium-bodied, sleek and racy. Super vivid. Drinkable now, but better in a year or two when it comes together. Try from 2026.
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Wine Spectator
A beam of acidity cuts through this scintillating red, lending energy and driving its cherry, strawberry, mineral and spice flavors. Both ripe and supple, this firms up while playing out on the long and lively finish. All of the elements add up to great potential in 5–7 years. Best from 2027 through 2047.
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Decanter
The last of Ricasoli's vineyards to be picked, Ceniprimo is located on an ancient fluvial terrace of sand and silt. At 300 metres above sea level, it faces west to southwest. As with all three of Ricasoli’s cru bottlings, this is fermented with selected yeasts indigenous to the Brolio estate, and ages in 500-litre tonneaux of which 30% are new. Medicinal herbs and vanilla weave through dark red cherry. The ripe, dense, fleshy fruit is coated with ample dusty tannins, while zesty, citrussy acidity gives a refreshing, countering lift. It leaves behind resounding suggestions of leather, chinotto and earthy forest roots, and deserves cellaring.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Barone Ricasoli 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole CeniPrimo show softly textured fruit with lots of sweet cherry and raspberry up front. Grapes for this wine come from a vineyard planted in a silty riverbed. As a result of these warm growing conditions, the CeniPrimo usually shows more pulpy fruit, and in the case of this vintage, you also get a high 15% alcohol content.
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Vinous
The 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione CeniPrimo is another potent wine from Ricasoli. Here, it is the wine’s breadth and textural presence that stand out most. Dark red-toned fruit, dried flowers, spice and earthy notes abound. I would be tempted to give this a year or two in bottle.
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.