Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is another dazzling wine. This is a vintage of overt, sumptuous fruit and pure sexiness. Despite its richness, the 2007 never loses its sense of structure, but in this vintage the tannins are nearly buried by the huge fruit. Today the 2007 comes across as a hypothetical blend of the 2004 and 2006, with the finesse of the former and the size of the latter. Not a bad combination, to put it mildly. In the glass the wine is alive, vibrant and totally captivating. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037.
-
Wine Spectator
Racy and rich, with chewy tannins that are polished and attractive. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a clean finish. Offers lots of richness.
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.