Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red. It is a complex wine. Its bouquet blends the typical fruity aromas of Sangiovese (such as blackberry, ripe marasca, plum) with the elegant notes of wood. Rich wine. On the palate it is velvety and harmonious with an excellent balance between acidity and sweet tannins. Aging wine, gives its best from the 5th year after the harvest
It goes with grilled red meat. Its harmony and typicality are also exalted perfectly by aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Attractive nose of blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates and apricots with hazelnuts and praline. Medium-bodied with a creamy and silky palate. Lovely, pure and fresh fruit, framed by sleek tannins. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva is laced with hints of black cherry, sage, mint, tobacco an incense. The aromatics are quite expressive in the Riserva. Bright acids lend energy to this deceptively mid-weight Riserva from Casaloste.
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Decanter
Exudes the typical richness of Panzano in Chianti, the extended ageing in French oak barriques adding balsamic nuances to the exuberant tones of ripe blackberries, new leather and raw cocoa. It has a smooth and velvety texture yet also possesses enough acidity and tannic heft to achieve balance. Black cherry and chocolate echo on the enticingly creamy finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The organic 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva (made with 95% Sangiovese and a small percentage of complementary grapes, all aged in French Allier oak) opens to medium-dark concentration and savory aromas. Beyond the dark fruit, the wine shows toasted espresso bean, spice and perfumed tea leaf.
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.