Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red color, complex and varied aroma, with notes of small red fruits, savory taste, harmonious, warm, full-bodied, long finish.
Pairs well with tasty dishes, red meat, roasts and game. Seasoned cheese.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Dark cherries, brambleberries, vanilla and blackcurrants form the basis of the nose here. Full body, a structured and refined texture and a medium-chewy finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Castello Monterinaldi 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva is a crisp and linear wine with a sweet spot of cherry or candied raspberry that lifts quickly and daintily from the glass. These results are well-proportioned and lively, although this vintage underlines a crisp, elegant and light-weight style overall that might be best sampled with goat cheese. This is a terrific find from a producer who is new to me.
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.