Winemaker Notes
Ruby red color. On the nose balsamic hints, ripe red fruit, and violets. Juicy, savory and mineral in the mouth with ripe tannins. Long and persistent finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Riper and richer Roncicone with plums, currants and jam, accompanied by fresh flowers and walnut undertones. Full-bodied, a little chewy and structured, yet crunchy with fine tannins. Lingering finish. Needs at least two or three years to come together.
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Wine Spectator
Offers aromas and flavors of cherry, black currant and plum highlighted by iron and mineral notes. Reveals accents of tobacco and wild herbs on the long, mouthwatering finish. Shows excellent balance. Best from 2025 through 2045.
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Wine Enthusiast
A savory nose brings to mind a calming coffee shop, with notes of balsamic vinegar and herbs and a gentle fruitiness blooming over the smell of the beans. The palate's velvety texture is balanced by a sharp edge of acidity and a peppery kick 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.