Winemaker Notes
Silky, with nutty fruit and a hint of bitter chocolate character. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This is superb for the silky texture and pure flavors of cherry, raspberry and rose. Elegant and linear, yet with a solid spine of tannins for support. The sweet, ripe fruit and floral accents return on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2040.
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James Suckling
A medium-bodied red with sweet berry and cherry character. Lovely transparency. Hints of citrus and stones. Fresh and driven, with just the right amount of fine tannins and acidity. Pure sangiovese. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A certified organic wine, the 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva submits a classic playlist of aromas with dark cherry fruit, plum, potting soils and light tobacco. The wine sits firmly on the palate with good freshness and integrated tannins. There are earthy notes of crushed stone and flint on the close.
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.