Winemaker Notes
This Chianti Classico is grown on vineyards that are densely planted with Sangiovese Grosso. The foundation of this wine lies in the typically highly calcareous Galestro soil, shaping its distinctive taste of the original Chianti. Picked solely by hand, the grapes are instantly fermented in small-sized fermenting vessels and then stored in oak barrels with 1,800 litres in capacity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Sweet, spiced earth and ripe red and dark cherries here. The palate has a very fleshy, juicy feel with attractive, chewy, dark-fruit tannins. Drink or hold.
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Wine & Spirits
Alfred Schefenacker’s high-elevation vineyards in this 33-acre Castellina in Chianti estate produced a dense and savory wine in 2016, its flavors of cherry and red currants permeated with notes of roasted tomato and savory herbs. It shows good depth and persistence, finishing with bright notes of orange zest
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.