Winemaker Notes
Casa Emma Chianti Classico is an elegant wine with a floral bouquet and cherry hints. It has a balanced freshness, good structure and velvety tannins. Aged for one year in 500 liter barrels, it has an intense ruby red color with purple reflections. With a lingering finish with good acidity and minerality, it is perfect to pair with pasta and cold cuts.
Blend: 90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo Nero, 5% Malvasia Nera
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Ripe cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and floral flavors are backed by accents of graphite, earth and spices, plus dusty tannins. This red tightens up on the finish, yet the fruit flavors persist. Sangiovese, Canaioloand Malvasia Nera.
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Decanter
The estate’s vineyards expand over the crest of San Donato in Poggio’s plateau on stony, limestone-rich Alberese soil. Ageing in a combination of tonneaux and cement yields an open-knit nose of vanilla-tinged plum and candied red berries. A hint of smoke swirls in the background. Delightful and lively, the palate emphasises supple yet juicy fruit in a midweight package. Soft acidity is matched by a velvety texture.
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.