Winemaker Notes
Ruby red color, bright, bright, with light garnet reflections. The nose gives off aromas of red ripe fruits, followed by hints of tobacco, black pepper and sweet woods, that become more complex with maturity. At first binding and full, the tannins blend in well with the fruity component. Long lasting taste, which expresses itself in excellent depth.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva is a gorgeous, statuesque offering. Beams of tannin and acid convey vertical structure. Black cherry, incense, leather, scorched earth, tobacco, dried leaves and graphite soar from the glass. Readers will find a potent Riserva that will benefit from a few years in bottle. The pedigree of the vintage is evident.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Castello di Verrazzano 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva (made with certified organic fruit) has a softly fragrant side with heritage rose and iris. Beyond those floral tones are tart berry flavors and warming hints of measured oak spice. I like the focus and streamlined quality of the wine's taut texture and its balanced freshness.
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James Suckling
A modern and ambitious wine with aromas of smoke, wax and graphite. Light- to medium-bodied, it shows firm, chewy tannins, crisp acidity and a tight, chalky finish with a lean aftertaste.
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.