Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red in color with slight garnet reflections. To the nose, flavors of ripe red fruit, scents of cherries with delicate balsamic and vanilla notes. The palate is voluminous, sapid, with a great structure. The elegant tannin and the pleasant acidity give this wine a long and enveloping finish.
Blend: 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
This red combines a ray of pure cherry with coffee, spice, wild herb and tobacco flavors in a seamless way, while sanguine and iron elements chime in on the finish. Balanced and elegant, with a lingering, complex aftertaste. Drink now through 2035.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Red-skinned berry, dark spice and balsamic aromas are front and center on this structured red. The firm, savory palate offers dried black cherry, licorice and grilled herb alongside fine-grained tannins. Drink through 2024.
-
Wine & Spirits
This wine has a silky texture and opulent ripeness that’s indicative of the warm 2015 growing season, and will appeal to fans of a more polished style of Chianti Classico. Notes of dried herbs and dark spices linger on the finish.
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.