Winemaker Notes
Brancaia Chianti Classico Riserva is an intense, medium to full-bodied wine. Long bouquet of cherry, black fruit and a continuum of spice, leather, tar and tilled earth. The mouthfeel is equal parts structured, fresh and succulent.
A great match with grilled meat, roast or braised beef and veal, stewed dishes, grilled fish and pasta dishes with strong tasting sauces.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Very attractive interplay of dark berries, chocolate and toasted spices with good concentration and depth. Bright, focused and so juicy, with a medium body and steady acidity. Savory and crunchy.
-
Wine Enthusiast
The nose is headlined by tart and sweet blackberries but also has the density of dark chocolate and espresso bean and the freshness of fennel. A cool palate balances blackberries and earth against salt and pepper, while tense, poised tannins create a sophisticated feel. Happily, this Riserva has clearly been given careful attention even as Gran Selezione tends to steal the focus now.
-
Wine Spectator
A mix of black cherry, blackberry and floral flavors is underscored by a firm structure in this fleshy red. Intense and balanced, with a lingering, mineral aftertaste. This feels crisp in the end, offering a light tactile feel around the gums. Sangiovese and Merlot.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva has a deeper magenta/ruby hue and is expressive and spiced with forward notes of toasted cedar, black cherries, balsamic herbs, and sappy earth. The palate offers medium to full-bodied richness and matches depth with ripe tannins, its toasty and ripe profile coating through the finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In the bottle with the burgundy-colored label, the organic Brancaia 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva is subtle on first nose with savory aromas of dried fruit, black cherry and potting soil. I feel like this sample doesn't quite give its full self, but it might just be a question of needing more time in bottle. A mild, mid-weight mouthfeel is capped by balanced acidity.
-
Vinous
The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva is a classic Brancaia wine. Dark, resonant and layered in the glass, the 2021 shows off its notable depth in style. Hints of mocha, new leather and brown spice all meld together in this decidedly sumptuous, textured Riserva.
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.