Winemaker Notes
Very intense ruby, almost like cranberry juice. Elegant nose of incense, bay leaves, black pepper and sandalwood as well as a basket of black cherries and wild blackberry. Mouth filled with fruity notes, roasted coffee and vanilla that stay in the background with the amarena and blackcurrant on the main stage. Beautifulbody, soft and rich tannins, just sweet with the final references back to the fruit mixed with hot spices, cardamom and incense.
Blend: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of berry, espresso, vanilla and pressed blue flowers lead the nose on this blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot. The palate offers lush black cherry, red currants and bell pepper layered with new-oak sensations of toast, mocha and roasted coffee bean. Astringent wood tannins generate a tongue-drying finish. Hold for complexity. Drink 2014–2019.
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.