Winemaker Notes
Ruby-red, juicy cherry and raspberry with hints of Mediterranean and floral notes on the nose. Medium bodied with elegant tannins on the palate and a fresh and long finish.
Excellently suited to Tuscan appetizers and Charcuterie as well as to all variations of pasta.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A well-composed, balanced and juicy Chianti Classico with aromas of dark cherries, wafers and warm spices. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins. Pulpy character with a vivid and textured mid-palate. Fresh and delicious finish. From organically grown grapes.
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Tasting Panel
The 2022 Chianti Classico Belcanto is laced with dark cherry, leather, spice, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and incense. Brooding and somewhat virile in feel, the Belcanto nevertheless offers plenty of complexity and nuance in an appealingly savory, earthy style.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
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.