Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico (375ML Half-bottle) 2017
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James
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Robert
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with deep intensity and hue. Fruity, fine and elegant aromas dominated by wild berries, along with array of spicy notes. Fruity on the palate with good tannins and a lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very fresh 2017 with plenty of tight and linear tannins that give the wine energy and drive. Medium to full body. Racy finish. This is impressive. Fantastic texture and complexity on the palate with purple fruit and wet earth.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of plum, exotic spice, eucalyptus and a hint of violet form the nose. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly structured and has nice tension, offering mature black cherry, blackberry compote and licorice accompanied by polished tannins. Drink through 2023.
Editors' Choice -
Wine Spectator
Rich, with black cherry, plum, iron and violet aromas and flavors, this red is suave and multidimensional. Vibrant and balanced, featuring a lingering finish that echoes the fruit and adds a spice accent. Best from 2021 through 2040.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chianti Classico Berardenga is a fine and precise wine that shows some of the warmth, good cheer and exuberance of the vintage, but that ultimately proves to be better contained and more carefully etched than I would have anticipated. The bouquet starts off with black fruit and light shadings of spice, but the best part is in those mineral aromas of flint and slate. Serve it with stuffed red peppers.
Rating: 91+
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In the 17 published editions of Gambero Rosso, Italy’s acclaimed wine rating guide, this Tuscan estate has won the coveted Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) award 17 times. They are a favorite of IWM, Robert Parker, and any Tuscan wine enthusiast. And they did it by revealing the true essence of the Sangiovese grape and the Chianti Classico terroir. What this tells us is that this is a winery of consistency, producing Chianti Classicos with the ability to age up to two decades for the right vintage. Much like the great Brunello estates, it is the marriage of an ideal microclimate and the uncompromising commitment of a dedicated staff that educes the full character of Tuscany's noble grape, even in off vintages. Even more importantly, this is a producer who creates compelling wines and releases them at contained prices, making Felsina accessible to all wine enthusiasts and one of Italy's greatest values!
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.