Winemaker Notes
Very intense ruby red with excellent complexity on the nose. Notes of small red fruits emerge, such as raspberry, red currant and cherry, which blend with the vanilla and spicy notes that derive from aging in wood. Great structure and elegance. The tannic texture is very dense and the tannins soft while the finish is long.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Pleasant Chianti with aromas and flavors of ripe red fruit, flowers and a hint of citrus. Medium body with quite firm tannins that turn a little chewy at the end.
Grignano goes back to the Bronze Age, through the Etruscan and Roman periods, bearing the name “Castello di Vico” (you can still see the remains of the Vico Bridge on the road taking you from Arezzo to Fiesole and Florence).
Starting in the Middle Ages, it was first the residence of the Guidi counts and then, in turn, the personal property of Catherine De Medici (1519-1589) who, in recognition of her confessor and trusted banker, Bishop Marquis Enrico Gondi, decided to honor him with the Grignano Estate property.
At the start of the 1970s, the Estate passed into the hands of the Inghirami family from Borgo Sansepolcro, one of the most noted and representative names in the Italian textile and fashion industry, which made it into a dynamic and historic company, producing wine and oil on 600 hectares of land, of which 50 are cultivated with vines, 200 with olive trees, 100 hectares are arable land, and 250 hectares are woodland. In 1999, the Inghirami family acquired the Pievecchia Winery, thus expanding the Grignano Estate.
Tommaso Inghirami today leads the company along with a team of professional staff. Continuous focus on technological innovation and improvement in quality drove the Inghirami family, from 2018, to undertake a major plan of investment in the vineyard, wine-cellars and olive oil mill.
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.
Famous for its food-friendly, approachable red wines and their storied history, Chianti is perhaps the best-known wine region of Italy. This appellation within Tuscany has it all: sweeping views of rolling hills, endless vineyards, the warm Mediterranean sun, hearty cuisine and a rich artistic heritage. Chianti includes seven subzones: Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Rufina, Montalbano, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Colli Aretini and Montespertoli, with area beyond whose wines can be labeled simply as Chianti.
However the best quality comes from Chianti Classico, in the heart of the Chianti zone, which is no longer a subzone of the region at all but has been recognized on its own since 1996. The Classico region today is delimited by the confines of the original Chianti zone protected since the 1700s.
Chianti wines are made primarily of Sangiovese, with other varieties comprising up to 25-30% of the blend. Generally, local varieties are used, including Canaiolo, Colorino and Mammolo, but international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are allowed as long as they are grown within the same zone.
Basic, value-driven Chianti wine is simple and fruit-forward and makes a great companion to any casual dinner. At its apex, Chianti is full bodied but with good acidity, firm tannins, and notes of tart red fruit, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic and tobacco. Chianti Riserva, typically the top bottling of a producer, can benefit handsomely from a decade or two of cellaring.