Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Full-bodied and loaded with finesse, this opens with aromas of ripe dark-skinned fruit, exotic spice, toast and a whiff of new oak. The firm palate delivers ripe black cherry, crushed plum, clove and ground pepper alongside fine-grained tannins. Drink 2017–2024.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The single-vineyard 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is a luminous and radiant Sangiovese-based wine. The vineyard is characterized by well-draining gravel soils with alberese and tufo limestone. Rancia delivers a beautiful sense of roundness and softness with dark berry, blackberry, leather, spice and pressed rose petal. This is an articulate and sophisticated wine. You can count on this Chianti Classico for excellent quality in what was a patchy vintage in other parts of the appellation.
-
James Suckling
An elegant and silky textured red with berry, hints of mineral and light chocolate aromas and flavors. Full body, integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Crisp. Drink now.
-
Wine Spectator
There's a lot of grip to this red, with earth, cherry and tobacco flavors. Leans toward the tannins in the balance but remains vibrant and long. Pair with a hearty ragù or salumi. Best from 2018 through 2028. 4,000 cases made.
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.