Winemaker Notes
This Chianti Classico contains all the salient features of the vineyards at Castello di Albola. Sangiovese grapes are scrupulously harvested and vinified on their own in the traditional style of the upper hillside areas in the most suitable area of ? Radda. Lengthy ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels helps to underline its imperious personality, in which considerable minerality, the freshness of the palate and the overall elegance stand out.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose is savory and umami, yet has a bite, as the smokiness of burnt sage and tartness of red plums pierces through aromas of hot tar and warm brick. Wild cherries bring a sweetness to the palate, but the red plum snap persists until chalky, blanketing tannins clear the way for a blaze of acid.
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James Suckling
A well-rounded, balanced and juicy red with plums, roasted meat and baking spices on the nose, following through to a medium body with fine tannins. Juicy and vivid with a delicious, succulent finish. From organically grown grapes.
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.