Winemaker Notes
Purple notes mixed with a red-ruby color in the glass. Aromas of red fruits, richness and intensity with teriary notes. The mouthfeel is opulent and powerful. Rich, ripe, well-balanced tannins complement the long, delicate yet persistent finish.
Blend: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is beautiful and decadent with notes of ripe red and dark berries with sweet spices, bark and hints of dried leaves. Full-bodied and tight with finely polished and compact tannins that run the whole length of the wine. Long and firm with granite-like presence on the finish. A little chewy at the end. A blend of sangiovese and merlot. Try after 2026.
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Vinous
Usually a wine of sensuality, the 2020 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto La Casuccia is a powerhouse. That is probably a good thing for its long-term aging prospects, but readers will have to patient. Intense savory and mineral notes infuse the 2020 with tons of complexity. Even in this warm year, the 2020 is not opulent, but it is packed with tremendous intensity and pure power. Red-toned Sangiovese fruit emerges over time, but the 2020 is going to require a measure of patience.
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Wine Spectator
Plum, blackberry and earth flavors show a hint of caramel in this suave, muscular red, framed by toasty oak. This feels fluid and open, until the dense, beefy tannins unleash their presence on the finish. Persistent and fresh, with a long aftertaste. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2045.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
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.