Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Round and infused with cherry and raspberry fruit, this red is juicy and detailed. Earth, iron and Tuscan scrub accents lend complexity as this winds down on the dusty finish.
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James Suckling
This is racy with red-fruited character, showcasing notes of dried orange peel, red licorice and chocolate. Medium-bodied with juicy acidity and velvety, soft tannins. Supple finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chianti Classico Le Cinciole pours a youthful magenta color and is a bit reserved on opening before revealing floral aromas of pine needles, white pepper, and black raspberry. Medium-bodied, it offers ripe tannins and a poppy lift with a clean, if not a bit modest, finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose is both floral and savory, with aromas of not only roses, violets and cherries, but also damp soil and crushed rocks. The palate is practically overflowing with cherries, creating a round, full, deeply satisfying mouthfeel, but tannins and acid provide a guardrail against excess.
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.