Winemaker Notes
Bright ruby red color. On the nose notes of blackberries, leather, cherries and red currant with a touch of liquorice and vanilla. Sweet and persistent tannins
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made by Piero and Benedetta Lanza, the Poggerino 2018 Chianti Classico shows clean and classic lines with small berry fruit, cassis and wild raspberry that fall together with delicate precision. As the wine warms in the glass, it begins to show some crushed mineral or limestone with light ash and smoke. The finish is lean and silky and would be well-accompanied by a plate of rolled-up mortadella, prosciutto and capocollo.
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Wine Spectator
A straightforward, appealing style, this balanced red displays cherry, plum, almond and spice flavors, lingering on the finish. Drink now through 2024. 3,750 cases made, 1,100 cases imported.
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.