Brancaia Chianti Classico Riserva 2016
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
An elegant wine with aromas of black cherry and sweet herbs. On the palate, hints of almond and toast integrate alongside supple tannins before a long, mineral-tinged finish.
Pair with grilled fish, stews, beef and rich pasta dishes like risotto.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva is a beautiful wine that does an excellent job of stringing together the many varied components of what makes a great Chianti Classico and puts them all together in a single bottle. The wine is balanced and intense with a long bouquet that starts off with black primary fruit and then trails off into a continuum of spice, leather, tar and tilled earth. There are many levels to consider here. The mouthfeel is equal parts structured, fresh and succulent, and these three factors fit together with precision. This is a terrific wine and one that I will readily drink with a grilled veal steak with my favorite roasted potatoes. The blend is 80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot.
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James Suckling
This is a very spicy Chianti Classico Riserva that shows toasty oak, dark chocolate, coffee beans and a backdrop of plum paste and Christmas pudding. Full-bodied and decadent on the palate with ripe and round tannins and a structured finish. Drink from 2023.
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Wine Spectator
A light touch of oak adds spice notes and tannins to this plum- and cherry-flavored red. Leather, sanguine and tobacco accents impart depth. The balance tips toward the lightly astringent tannins as this turns compact on the finish. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2038.
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Founded by Swiss couple Brigitte and Bruno Widmer in the famed hillsides of Tuscany more than 30 years ago, Brancaia is the modern face of luxury Italian wine. Rooted in the bold Super Tuscan movement that forever changed Italy’s winemaking culture, the wines of Brancaia blend classic Italian grapes with international varieties, bringing a decidedly modern touch to a centuries-old wine region.
Today the winery is still family owned and operated, led by the Widmers’ daughter, winemaker Barbara Widmer. Barbara has excelled at perfecting the style and quality of Brancaia wines by producing elegant, complex wines with a strong Tuscan identity.
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.