Winemaker Notes
This riserva has a luminous ruby red color. Appealing aromas of dark cherries, plums, sweet spice, violets, vanilla and hints of dark chocolate and menthol emerge on the nose. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied but smooth with an almost creamy mouthfeel. Tannins are well integrated with the alcohol, and lead to a subtly sweet, silky finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very perfumed with flowers and sandalwood. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins that are so long and intense. This will compete with top Brunellos. Linear and driven at the end.
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Decanter
Selected from the estate’s Berardo vineyard, at an average altitude of 350 metres. The 35-hectare site is characterised by calcareous clay loam. The wine exudes seductive nuances of dusty earth, forest undergrowth and tobacco. Expansive and savoury, the dark fruited palate flaunts mellowed black currant and plum suffused with iron and leather. The tannins are grainy yet yielding, and a core of zesty acidity leads to a long, appetising finish. This begs for a hearty mushroom-based pasta dish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Opening to medium-dark concentration, the organic Castello di Bossi 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Berardo offers a velvet-like texture with substantial aromas of dark plum and sweet cherry and moderate tones of earth and spice that are expertly woven within the wine's fine texture. This Riserva offers good tannic structure with fine, powdery sensations to close.
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Vinous
The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Berardo offers up scents of plum, blackberry, dried herbs, leather, cedar, tobacco and licorice. This virile Riserva captures plenty of the earthy, somber power often found in wines from Castelnuovo Berardenga.
With a history dating back to the 9th century AD, the Castello di Bossi estate has evolved with the times. A dynamic team leads the estate and never shies from technological innovation, while remaining true to the terroir of Chianti. It is this balance that has been a key part of Marco Bacci’s vision as he has brought Castello di Bossi to the highest ranks of international wine. As the mastermind of Castello di Bossi, he oversees all operations, from beginning to end, with careful attention to detail. In the last 10 years, Marco has added two properties to his holdings: Renieri in Montalcino and Terre di Talamo in the Morellino di Scansano appellation. The Bossi Castle is located in the town of Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost appellation of Chianti Classico, amid evergreen woods and long rows of vines. With his brother Maurizio, Marco owns one of the best collections of estates in Tuscany, and is creating high-quality wines from some of the top Tuscan appellations. The wine consultant is Alberto Antonini and Federico Curtaz is the agronomist. Following in his father's footsteps, Marco's son Jacopo joined the company in 2004. First involved on the production side, Jacopo has come to be especially active in sales in the US and Asian markets.
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.