Winemaker Notes
100% Sangiovese from a vineyard planted in 1998 in Castellina in Chianti.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
As of 2021, Monica Raspi has ‘upgraded’ her Riserva to a Gran Selezione. It hails from the same single plot but now goes by the name L’Omino, which means little man and refers to the stone effigy overlooking the vineyard that resembles a human figure. Shy to open, the nose unfolds with subtle yet exotic scents of rooibos tea, mace and redcurrant. Still tight and tense, the palate frames tangy red berries with faint wood notes. Resolute tannins are on the right side of extraction, the acidity is sappy, and the lime leaf finish is long and cleansing. Tuck this away for a couple of years.
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James Suckling
A restrained nose of lush red and black cherries, violets, eucalyptus and earth with bergamot nuances. Full-bodied, it shows density, velvety tannins, crisp acidity and a long, savory finish. An ambitious wine with potential for the long haul. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.
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Wine Spectator
Black cherry, black currant and blackberry fruit highlights this exuberant red. Endowed with dense, muscular tannins that leave a strong grip on the finish. Still feels a little crisp in the end, yet there’s ample fruit and fine, iron-tinged length.
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Vinous
The 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Pomona L'Omino is a potent, brooding wine. Pipe tobacco, incense, leather, menthol, tobacco, dried herbs and tapenade exalt the darker side of Sangiovese. This broad-shouldered, explosive Gran Selezione will be a fine companion to rich foods at the dinner table. There is certainly no shortage of character here.
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.